


I found it hard to find someone like you

by DistractionCake



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama & Romance, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Conversion Therapy, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Torture, Murder Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:47:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25909099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DistractionCake/pseuds/DistractionCake
Summary: PREVIEW:“'Actually, I’m not even that surprised. Riverdale...' Toni begins to say just as theWelcome to the Town with Pep!sign comes into view. 'It’s not what you’d expect.'”SUMMARY:When Jason Blossom goes missing, FBI Agent Toni Topaz must return to her hometown and face her demons if she wants to find out the truth about what really happened to the Blossom Maple Farms heir.
Relationships: Sweet Pea/Toni Topaz
Comments: 19
Kudos: 14





	1. PROLOGUE

**Author's Note:**

> hello ✌🏼 it's been a while since i've been here but!! _i'm back, baby~_ anyway! i hope you're all doing well and i hope you'll indulge me as we dive into a fic that is very different from anything i've written before AKA a plot-heavy fic. as you'll see in the tags (which i will continuously update as best i can!) this is a murder mystery. a whodunit, if you will. which means things are going to get dark, so be warned! all in all, i hope you guys will have as much fun reading this and trying to solve it as i did writing it. here we go! ❤️

* * *

_They’re hanging out in the Jones trailer like they usually do every day after school._

_She and Sweet Pea are on the couch, his arm thrown around her, while Jughead is in the kitchen playfully arguing with F.P._

_It’s the usual._

_Not like there’s much else to do on the Southside, anyway._

_Plus, it’s no secret that they’d much rather be here over their own homes anyway. Toni’s uncle is a grade A asshole who locks her out constantly and Sweet Pea’s mom is always on his case about one thing or another. F.P. however? He doesn’t give a flying fuck. He’s usually always half drunk and Toni’s pretty sure he’s always got a gun on his person. That Serpent survival instinct never truly gone. It might not make him Father of the Year in most people’s eyes, but as far as they’re concerned? He’s as good as it gets here._

_He’s kind._

_“I’m just sayin’,” Toni hears F.P. say, “DeSantos and Fogarty are gonna catch a rash if they keep diddling in the woods. Only so many trees before you hit some poison ivy. And let me tell you, that shit ain’t a good time.”_

_“You speaking from experience, old man?” Jughead teases._

_“I’m just sayin’, Motel 3 is the better option,” F.P. responds with a shrug._

_“Dad,” Jughead groans, as his father chuckles. F.P. walks to the door then, beer in hand. He points at them on the couch on his way out, “You kids don’t get too rowdy now, you hear?”_

_“No promises,” Sweet Pea responds, as he lifts his own half empty beer bottle in his direction._

_F.P. just chuckles again as he leaves._

_Toni watches him go, before turning her eyes back toward Jughead. She watches him walk back into the living room area with three new beer bottles in hand. She doesn’t miss the way his smile drops when he spots Sweet Pea’s arm around her._

_Before she can move or even say anything, he’s suddenly dropping all three beer bottles on the floor._

_Bottles crashing and beer spilling everywhere._

_“Careful!” Toni reprimands as she goes to stand up to get some paper towels, but––_

_She can’t._

_Sweet Pea’s arm around her shoulders suddenly tightens. Pulling her into him._

_“Sweet Pea, come on,” she says, but it’s no use._

_He won’t let go._

_She tries to move out of his grip again, but he only tightens it even more._

_“Sweet Pea, stop being a dick!” Toni says as she continues to struggle in his arms. She looks back over to Jughead then, but––_

_They’re not in the Jones trailer anymore._

_They’re standing in the projection booth at the Twilight Drive-In._

_And it’s not beer spilled at Jughead’s feet, but blood._

_So much blood._

_Pooling all around their feet._

_“Jughead!” Toni shouts, but she can’t move. She’s frozen in place by the door as she watches his eyes go glassy, watches as he opens his mouth to try to speak and instead more blood begins to pour out._

_“Jughead!” Toni yells again until––_

She jumps in her seat.

“Sorry,” the voice beside her says. The arm that had just gently shaken her awake pulling back. “We’re getting close, I think. According to the GPS, anyway.” 

Toni exhales in relief.

It was just a dream.

_A nightmare_ , she thinks to herself as she wipes at her face and stretches out her neck as best she can. 

Falling asleep against the passenger side window was _not_ a good idea.

“Sorry for checking out on you,” Toni says with a yawn.

“It’s fine. Insomnia can be a real bitch, huh?”

“You don’t even know the half of it,” Toni murmurs as she shoots a smile his way.

“I thought you’d sorted that out. Sleeping pills or something?”

“I did, but I ran out. Didn’t really have time to refill before HQ sent us up here.”

“Talk about last minute, huh?”

“Yeah,” Toni says with an exhale as they continue to drive. “I promise though,” she continues after a beat, “I’m good to go.”

“Topaz, I’d take you at your worst over anybody else at their best. I’m not even a little bit worried.”

“You’re such a sweet talker, huh Moose?” 

He smiles at her then, all schoolboy charm. “It’s the truth though.”

And it is. Toni doesn’t doubt Marmaduke “Moose” Mason’s loyalty. From the moment they met at the Academy, they just clicked. From Day #1. And look where they’re at now. 

Partners.

The two smile at each other again as they keep driving.

“So are we close? Or is the GPS lying?”

“We’re close,” Toni confirms as the familiar road stretches out in front of them.

She reaches into her jacket pocket then, her fingers wrapping around a small tape recorder she keeps there. Her thumb lightly going over the buttons.

**PLAY** **  
****REWIND  
** **STOP  
** **RECORD**

_  
  
_

Achingly familiar. 

“When _was_ the last time you were back here?” Moose asks after a beat, as he readjusts himself in his seat.

“Ten years ago. My grandfather's funeral.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I think, deep down, I always knew I’d end up coming back here.”

“Probably didn’t think it would be to solve a missing persons case though, huh?” Moose jokes.

“Actually, I’m not even that surprised. Riverdale...” Toni begins to say just as the _Welcome to the Town with Pep!_ sign comes into view. “It’s not what you’d expect.”

* * *


	2. “People don’t just vanish”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PREVIEW:
> 
> “'Sheriff, This is Agent Topaz and Agent Mason with the FBI,' the deputy that met them at the door introduces. 'This is Sheriff Grande, Riverdale Police Department.'”
> 
> SUMMARY:
> 
> DAY ONE

* * *

**DAY ONE: MONDAY JULY 16th** **  
****(PRESENT DAY)**

Toni can tell the exact moment he recognizes her. ****

The look in his eyes gives him away instantly.

That barely simmering resentment. 

“Sheriff, This is Agent Topaz and Agent Mason with the FBI,” the deputy that met them at the door introduces. “This is Sheriff Grande, Riverdale Police Department.”

“Grande?” Toni can’t help but ask as they politely shake hands.

“Got married last year,” the Sheriff replies with an easy smile. Clearly doing his best to appear approachable. “I’ll admit, going from Kevin Keller to Kevin Grande isn’t quite as alliteratively pleasing, but what can I say? I’m a sucker for tradition.” 

Toni doesn’t miss the way that he and Moose shake hands for just a beat too long.

“Well, Sheriff Grande. You got somewhere for us to work?”

“Yes, this way,” he says. “You know, I gotta be honest. When we were told that the FBI was coming in to help, I did not expect to see _you_ here. Pink hair not Quantico-approved?” Kevin asks as he leads them into a conference room in the Sheriff’s Station. 

“Protocol, you know how it is,” Toni answers, trying her best to be polite as well, despite what feels like a dig. 

“So, walk us through where you’re at right now, Sheriff. We only got the case file last night. We were working on a different case, before we got reassigned here based on Agent Topaz’s familiarity with the town,” Moose says as he pulls out their copies from his briefcase and they take a seat.

“Who knew growing up in Riverdale would end up being a job perk, huh?” Kevin says as he takes a seat at the head of the table where his own copy is waiting. “Right so,” he begins as he opens the file. “Jason Blossom, 29, has been missing for 10 days now. The heir to the very lucrative maple syrup empire that is Blossom Maple Farms, he was last seen the night of Friday July 6th at around 9:30pm exiting Pop’s Diner after picking up his order. His car was found the next morning parked down by Sweetwater River. We immediately started a neighborhood canvass, dragged the river, but nothing turned up. No keys, no food, no cellphone — and no trace of Jason Blossom at all. It’s like he vanished.”

“People don’t just vanish,” Toni counters.

“Guess that’s why you’re here to help,” Kevin replies with a forced smile.

“Let’s break it down then,” Moose says, stepping into the conversation after clearly picking up on the tension. “No keys?”

“Nope. We searched the entire area, land and water, but nothing. No body and no other evidence at all turned up.”

“The cellphone,” Toni starts to ask. “Did you contact his service provider?”

“We did. It’s off, so they couldn’t ping it. We also asked for the call logs and text messages for the last 6 months. We’re still going through them, but nothing of significance so far.”

“What about social media? Messaging apps?” Moose asks.

“Don’t really have the resources for that,” Kevin confesses sheepishly. 

“We’ll look into it,” Moose answers as he looks over to Toni.

She nods at him before continuing with their questions, “What about the food? What was the order?”

“Two double-doubles. No crumbs on the seat or the carpet, which makes us think whatever went down happened before he ate.”

“Two double-doubles? Either Jason Blossom has a hell of an appetite, or that was a meal for two,” Toni questions with a raised eyebrow.

“Our current working theory is that he was probably meeting someone down at Sweetwater River and that someone betrayed him. Probably abducted him.”

“Heir to such a big fortune like that suddenly disappears without a trace, you usually get a ransom call,” Moose points out.

“No call. We’ve been monitoring the phones at Thornhill, which is the main family compound for the Blossoms, along with a few of their other properties, but nothing,” Kevin responds. “We’ve also been monitoring his bank account and the other Blossom accounts we were given access to, but again, nothing. No movement at all.”

“So if it wasn’t about the money, it was personal,” Toni concludes. “Any known enemies in town?”

“Not that we’ve found,” Kevin answers. “The Blossoms mainly keep to their inner social circle. It’s not often they venture out and that social circle is very tight-knit. They wouldn’t do that to one another.”

“Sounds like you know them personally,” Toni comments offhandedly, which causes Kevin to straighten in his seat.

Toni smirks to herself.

“I have spent time with them, yes,” he responds, his tone of voice verging on defensive. “But that has not impeded me from doing my job. Alibis have been verified.” 

“We’ll be re-interviewing everyone, regardless. Protocol, you understand,” Toni responds, a slight condescending tone to her voice.

“Of course,” Kevin says, clenching his jaw.

“So,” Moose interjects again. “Anything of value _actually_ found in the car?” he asks.

“Not really,” Kevin responds. “Our forensic techs found fingerprints on the vehicle, but they came back to the people we expected: Jason himself and his twin sister Cheryl and the jogger that found the car. Other than that, all that was found in the car was just an old receipt. Nothing else. Blossom kept that car pristine.”

Before anything else can be said a knock on the conference room door interrupts them.

“Excuse me Sheriff, but Mayor McCoy is on the phone for you,” the deputy from earlier says as he pops his head in.

“Right,” Kevin says as he stands. “Well, if you have any more questions for us, please let me know. We’re putting all of our resources into this. This town has already been through enough tragedies before, we don’t really need another.”

“You’re right,” Toni says as she locks eyes with Kevin. “We don’t really need another tragedy.”

Kevin clenches his jaw once more, before looking at Moose. “Pleasure to meet you, Agent Mason. Agent Topaz.”

He then walks out.

Moose exhales once Kevin is gone.

“That was tense.”

“It certainly was,” Toni says as she idly traces the scar above her right eyebrow.

**REWIND**

_She’s double-checking her appearance, hoping her demure outfit and makeup are enough to balance out her pink hair. She really should have dyed it back before today, but fuck. Maybe it’s immature to be holding on to it when she needs to be taken seriously, but right now...she’s just desperate to hold on to something — anything — from before._

_The door to the bathroom opens behind her then and Toni sees him hurriedly walk in through the reflection in the bathroom mirror._

_The best friend._

_Kevin Keller._

_“This is the women's bathroom,” Toni begins to reprimand, “and you really shouldn’t be in here.”_

_“It’s Toni, right?” he asks, as she turns around to face him. “Look, I know I shouldn’t be talking to you, but––”  
  
“No, you really shouldn’t.” _

_“Look, I just. I don’t know how much attention you’ve been paying to everything that’s been said today––”_

_“Why should I? When I watched it happen with my very own eyes. I’ve got the scar to prove it,” Toni angrily rebuts._

_“She had a nervous breakdown, okay? That’s all it was,” Kevin pleads._

_“A nervous breakdown doesn’t turn you into a serial killer,” Toni retorts._

_“There’s no proof that any of those other murders are related––”_

_“Get out,” Toni hisses. “Get the fuck out, before I let the judge know you were in here trying to sway my testimony.”_

_“If you and your friend testify that she killed that kid, she’ll go to jail forever. What she needs is help, not prison,” Kevin emphatically continues._

_“That kid?” Toni scoffs painfully._

_Because that’s all he is to them. Some random, no-name, trailer trash kid._

_A Southsider._

_“Fuck you, you privileged preppy Northsider. I hope she goes to jail and I hope she fucking rots there for all of eternity,” Toni snarls as she shoulder checks the boy on her way out._

_Fuck Kevin Keller._

**STOP**

“Topaz?” Moose asks. “You good?”

“Yeah,” Toni responds as she goes back to looking over her file. “Let’s get to work.”

* * *

It’s a few hours later, after they’ve gone over as much as they can, when they finally decide to retire for the night. 

“When do you think HQ will have something for us on the socials?” Toni wonders as they wait for the elevator at their hotel to come back down to the lobby.

“Two days, tops. Mel will get it done,” he answers.

“ _Mel_ is trying to get in your pants.”

“Can’t say I blame her,” he answers with a smug smile.

The elevator dings and the two step inside, rolling in their small travel suitcases and bags.

“Gotta say, I’m glad HQ decided to spring for the Five Seasons. Can’t say I was looking forward to sleeping on those lumpy mattresses Motel 3 calls beds,” Moose jokes.

“Oh trust, the ones here are more like cement cots. We hit the jackpot, baby,” she jokes back as she presses the button for their floor.

“Speaking from experience?” Moose jokingly asks as he wiggles his eyebrows.

“Shut up,” Toni answers, causing him to laugh. “Speaking of getting into _your_ pants, don’t think I didn’t see Sheriff Grande making eyes at you.”

“He’s got a ring on his finger,” Moose answers, rolling his eyes as he leans against the wall behind them.

“Like that’s stopped either of us before?”

“Touché.”

“I’m just saying, if you’re that desperate to get your dick wet––”

" _Christ,_ Toni.”

“––At least wait for this to be over if you’re doing him. Although, you could definitely do better than that asshole.” 

“I know the deal, Topaz. I’m not looking to pull a _you_ and Hermosa Lodge here.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. That case was a mess and a half.”

Moose chuckles.

“I’m serious, though,” Toni continues. “If you’re looking for dick, there’s better ones in this town.”

“I’m here to work, Toni. Not fuck,” Moose sighs in exasperation.

“If you say so.”

They go up another floor before Moose speaks again.

“Anyway, what if I’m in the mood for some pussy instead?” he cheekily asks, causing Toni to snort.

“You sound juvenile.”

“You’re the one asking me about how hard my dick is.”

The doors finally open and the two begin walking down the hallway to their rooms.

“I’m just saying,” Toni answers, “keep your wits about you here, especially when it comes to who you’re fucking. If worst comes to worst, I’ll fuck you.”

Moose laughs loudly as they reach their rooms, doors across from each other.

Toni still remembers the one and only time they were both drunk, lonely, and horny. Barely got to second base before both of them couldn’t hold in their laughter.

“I hate you,” Moose says, still laughing as he unlocks his door.

“Goodnight,” Toni answers back laughing as well as she steps into her room.

She shuts the door behind her and shakes her head in amusement.

If there’s one thing she’s grateful for when it comes to coming back to Riverdale, it’s having Moose with her. The only man in her life that’s never disappointed her. Truly.

Toni moves over to set her small suitcase by the dresser then. She walks over to the bed and drops her backpack at the foot of it. She sits on the bed, intending to take her ankle boots off, before she’s taken aback by just how soft the mattress is.

“Fuck me,” she groans after she lets herself flop on her back for a beat.

Despite her earlier comments, Toni had never actually stayed at this Five Seasons before. It just wasn’t a thing if you grew up on the other side of the train tracks. Still, anything had to be better than the Motel 3 in the Southside that Toni spent her teenage years sneaking off to.

Toni groans again as she sits back up and continues taking off her shoes.

Her phone beeps not a minute later and Toni reaches for it.

A text message.

She feels her heart start to race as she sees who it’s from.

Toni opens up the conversation thread and reads over her own messages first.

**I’m driving up to Riverdale tomorrow.**

**Work.**

**Just thought you should know.**

She reads over the answer she just got, a _full day later,_ and all it simply asks is,

**Jason Blossom?**

Toni quickly types back,

**Yes.**

She watches as the typing bubble pops up. 

A few moments later it disappears.

It pops up again.

It disappears.

No other messages come through.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next chapter should be up by monday :) also, i've tried my best to make this as easy to follow as possible, despite a lot of information being given. if something is unclear, don't hesitate to ask me in the comments! i'm more than happy to clear anything up 👍🏼


	3. “Shit happens, Jones. It’s the reality we live in”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PREVIEW:
> 
> “Sleep had not come easy to Toni her first night back in Riverdale.”
> 
> SUMMARY:
> 
> DAY TWO

* * *

**DAY TWO: TUESDAY JULY 17th** **  
** **(PRESENT DAY)**

“We’re just going to go over Pop’s statement. No need to push with him. He’s as honest as they come,” Toni says as they pull up to Pop’s Diner the next morning. ****

Sleep had not come easy to Toni her first night back in Riverdale. She’d spent the entire night tossing and turning, before eventually just giving up. She’d headed down to the hotel’s gym for a run just around sunrise and then again for the complimentary breakfast after showering. ****

She’s always had trouble sleeping, ever since…. _Ever since._ But last night was particularly difficult and Toni briefly wonders if being back in Riverdale is possibly making things worse. ****

Time heals all wounds or whatever it is they say. ****

Toni’s starting to think that might just be bullshit. ****

“Roger that,” Moose answers as he opens his door. ****

A few moments later, the two of them are at the counter talking to the man himself. ****

“So you said he called ahead?” Moose asks, his demeanor friendly and casual. ****

“Yes. Ordered two double-doubles.” ****

“And was that an unusual order for him?” ****

“Not particularly,” Pop answers as he thinks back. “It’s not his usual, but I do think he orders it at least once every couple of weeks.” ****

“When he’s meeting someone,” Toni murmurs quietly to Moose. ****

Moose nods, before continuing, “And was anything about him off that night? Did he seem stressed or worried or nervous?” ****

“Not at all. He was his usual self,” Pop confirms. “Charming, teasing the waitresses. The usual.” ****

“And you said there was only one other person in the diner at that time?” Moose asks as he checks his notes. ****

“Yes, a Serpent. It was during one of those lulls, you know?” Pop explains. “The boy walked in a little bit after Jason did. I think he left almost an hour later? By then the place was really full. He kept to himself though, mostly over at that booth,” he says, gesturing to one of the tables. “I think he put some quarters in the jukebox.” ****

“Do you know which Serpent?” Toni asks. ****

“The DeSantos kid. The older one.” ****

Moose and Toni exchange a brief look before nodding at Pop. ****

“Thank you, Pop,” she says. ****

“Of course,” he responds with a kind smile. “You know, the circumstances might not be ideal, but it _i_ _s_ still nice to see you again Toni.” ****

Toni can’t help the sad smile that comes over her face at his words. Memories of her days spent in these booths. It’s been over 10 years and yet–– ****

It doesn’t hurt any less. ****

It really is just bullshit. ****

“You too, Pop,” Toni answers softly after a beat. ****

She watches as Pop heads back into the kitchen, before she turns to Moose, the agent going through his notes. ****

“Looks like it was all straightforward,” he says. “He calls for his usual date night meal, picks it up, leaves.” ****

“Maybe so,” Toni responds. “Question is then, who was the date?” ****

“Mhm,” Moose murmurs as he looks around the diner. “This place got an upstairs or a downstairs?” ****

“Just a crawl space up top that leads to the roof. The basement was bricked up decades ago,” Toni answers. ****

" _For the love of God, Montresor!_ " Moose jokes which causes Toni to snort. ****

As they start to walk toward the door, Toni can’t help but look around once more. ****

Pictures herself sitting at the counter, bright pink hair, drinking a milkshake. ****

Her heart aches. ****

She checks her phone. ****

Still no messages.

* * *

**REWIND**

_“Okay, on three.”_

_“Chicken Fight!” Sweet Pea yells from his place on the shore._

_Joaquin smirks before counting down, “One, two, three!”_

_As soon as he says it, she and Jughead do their best to knock down Joaquin and Fangs. Toni holds her own for as long as she can, but unlike Jughead who is quite obviously struggling to balance her up on his shoulders, Fangs has no trouble keeping Joaquin up and helping him win their battle._

_A beat later, Toni hits the water._

_She surfaces not long after and splashes Fangs in the face._

_“Don’t be a sore loser!” Fangs laughs as he splashes water back._

_“You really should think about hitting the gym every once in a while, Jones,” Joaquin comments. “Build your strength up. Lift something other than those conspiracy books you like so much, you know? Might be able to actually hold your own with Topaz then,” he says with a smarmy wink._

_Toni watches as Jughead goes beet red before starting to swim back over to the shore._

_“You’re an ass,” Toni tells him as she splashes water in his face._

_“What?” He splutters with a laugh, wiping at his face. “I’m just giving the kid some realistic advice. He ever wants to last more than 2 seconds tangling in the sheets with you––”_

_“Shut the hell up, Joaquin,” Toni growls at him as she too starts swimming back over to the shore._

_“It’s a joke, Topaz! We all know you’re too dickmatized by Sweet Pea to ever throw the poor kid a bone!” he finishes with an obnoxious laugh._

_Toni gives him the finger as she continues on her way._

_“Joaquin’s a dick,” she hears Jughead complain from where he’s sitting across from Sweet Pea, his back to the river._

_“You’re just realizing that now?” Sweet Pea says with a snort as he takes a sip of his beer._

_“Don’t listen to him, Jughead. He’s an asshole,” Toni comforts as she walks over to sit beside Sweet Pea._

_“You mean he likes to take it up his asshole,” Sweet Pea says with a laugh as he gestures back toward the water where Fangs and Joaquin are currently no longer in sight._

_“Is it wrong that I’m hoping Dad’s right and they do get poison ivy? Or at least, Joaquin does?”_

_Toni and Sweet Pea both laugh at Jughead’s comment._

_Sweet Pea sets his empty beer bottle down then. He stretches for a beat, before twisting his body to lay down. He lays his head in Toni’s lap, smiling up at her –– a sweet smile that takes up his whole face. It makes Toni’s heart flutter as she moves her hand to play with his hair. He closes his eyes in contentment as she does. When she looks back up to Jughead she catches the barely disguised jealousy in his eyes._

_“So,” Toni says swallowing, “Tell me about that Agatha Christie novel you’re reading, Jones.”_

**STOP**

“Topaz?” Moose asks. “You good?”

“Yeah,” Toni replies, shaking her head clear of her memories. She turns away from the water to look at Moose. “Walk me through it.” ****

“Okay, so,” Moose begins his reenactment. “Based on the tire tracks and the mud that night, since it had rained the night before, we know that Jason pulled into Sweetwater River from this direction,” he says gesturing as he walks from the tree line into the area closest to the shore. ****

“Consistent with driving here directly from Pop’s.” ****

“Yes,” he confirms. “He parked over in this area according to the crime scene photos. They searched, but nothing came up.” ****

“Like he vanished?” Toni fake gasps, a mocking tone to her question as she makes fun of Kevin’s description from the day before. ****

“Obviously not,” Moose says, trying to hold back a laugh. “But still. We’re missing something.” ****

“Maybe he jumped in the water. Swam across to Greendale and never looked back,” Toni muses. ****

She remembers how many times they joked about it as kids. ****

Cross the river. ****

Get to the other side. ****

Freedom. ****

Or as close to it as they could imagine. ****

“Leaving behind one hell of a fortune? Doubt it,” Moose counters. ****

“We’re missing something,” Toni says, getting back on track –– Moose’s assertion is right. “This is too neat. Too clean.” ****

“Or maybe not clean enough,” Moose says as he pulls one of the pictures from the case file and shows it to Toni.

* * *

“Sheriff Grande,” Moose greets as they meet Kevin at the evidence garage they’re keeping Jason’s car in. “Thank you for meeting us here.”

“Agent Mason, Agent Topaz,” he greets in return. “Of course. Like I said, we’re putting all of our resources into this. We want this case solved and with as happy an ending as possible.”

“He’s been missing for almost two weeks,” Toni comments. “Define happy ending.”

“Eleven days,” Kevin corrects, the barely disguised frustration clear in his voice. “And like many things in life, I’d say it’s subjective Agent Topaz.”

“Right,” Moose says, clearing his throat. “Walk us through it.”

“This is a ‘61 Chevrolet Impala Convertible,” Kevin begins as they walk over to it. “It was found by the river with the top up. Inside and outside of the vehicle our techs found fingerprints that came back to who we expected: Jason Blossom, his twin sister Cheryl Blossom, and the jogger who found the car, Reggie Mantle. Other than that, the only other thing inside the car was an old receipt. That’s it.”

“Pictures at the crime scene show that the car tracked mud from the forest, since it had rained the night before. Did your techs take a look at that?” Moose questions as he and Toni walk around the car.

Toni watches as Moose bends down to look at the tires on the driver’s side.

“They did,” Kevin confirms. “Preliminary soil samples to corroborate the dirt wasn’t from somewhere else. It came back as conclusively from that area of Fox Forest that leads into Sweetwater River. I’m no dirt scientist, but they were pretty certain,” Kevin ends with a chuckle.

“What about anything on the mud itself? Hairs? Gum? Trash? Any evidence that might point to another person or an object or a different location?” Moose continues as he stands back up and walks around to the other side of the car.

“Nothing, I’m afraid,” Kevin sighs. “There’s a reason you guys got called in. We’re stuck.”

Toni watches as Moose bends down to look at the tires on the passenger’s side when something suddenly clicks in her brain.

An inconsistency. 

“Inside?” she asks, turning to face Kevin.

“Pardon?”

“You said you found the Blossom Twins fingerprints inside and outside of the car. That makes sense, they own it. However, the jogger –– why were his fingerprints inside the car?”

Toni looks down and briefly locks eyes with a kneeling Moose. Watches as the wheels turn in his head before he stands back up. The two face Kevin then as he begins to answer.

“Mr. Mantle recognized the car while he was out on his usual morning run down by the river. He figured Jason must have had car trouble, so he was going to try and start the car. Look under the hood and all that, if need be. When he saw that the keys weren’t in the ignition, he got out of the car and called Cheryl. Mr. Mantle owns a car dealership, so he fancies himself a bit of a car buff,” Kevin patiently explains.

“He called Cheryl Blossom?” Toni asks.

“He’d already tried calling Jason, but got no answer.”

Toni hums at his response.

“The receipt,” Moose says then. “Can we see it?”

“Not much to see, but sure,” Kevin says as he walks over to a table that holds the evidence bag. “It’s from last month and the ink on it has pretty much faded away completely,” he continues as he picks up the bag and starts walking back toward them. “All you can see is the logo and the date. We’re not even really sure where it’s from. We don’t recognize it.”

Kevin hands Moose the plastic evidence bag and the two of them look at the receipt through it.

“06/07,” Moose reads the numbers aloud. 

“June 7th,” Kevin confirms.

“June,” Toni murmurs to herself.

**REWIND**

_She’s walking into the public library on a Saturday afternoon. Given the time and day, it’s no surprise that it takes her approximately 30 seconds to find Jughead at the table that he’s commandeered for himself in the back. ****_

_“You know, when I, uh, said we should start a book club, I didn’t mean we needed to actually meet at the library,” she teases as she approaches the table. ****_

_Jughead’s head snaps up from the newspaper he’s reading, before he quickly stands up. ****_

_“You okay there, Jones?” Toni asks as she notices his jittery hands. ****_

_Jughead exhales as he picks up the newspaper he was just reading and turns it around, placing it on the table in front of where Toni is standing. ****_

_Toni looks down and skims over the small headline on the corner of the third page of the day’s paper. ****_

_“Southside Junkie Slain,” Toni quietly reads. She looks back up at Jughead. “Stinky Steve, right?” ****_

_“Yeah,” Jughead confirms. “He used to sleep in those dumpsters behind Mustang’s.” ****_

_“That’s the Southside for you,” Toni bitterly responds. ****_

_“What if it’s more than that?” Jughead suddenly questions._

_“What do you mean?”_

_“What if I told you that in the last month, from June until now, eight people have been murdered in the Southside.”_

_“Shit happens, Jones. It’s the reality we live in,” Toni can’t help but defeatedly respond._

_The Southside._

_That’s life._

_“No, but it’s more than that,” Jughead emphatically responds as he reaches over and grabs the other newspapers he has strewn across his table and lays them in front of Toni._

_Toni glances at all the headlines that the Riverdale Register always buries a few pages in. Never once actual front page news._

_“Homeless people, junkies, prostitutes,” he says. “Do they get murdered? Yes. But eight of them? In a little over four weeks? That’s two kills a week.”_

_“Jughead––”_

_“I think something is happening. This is too precise. Killing off people that society wouldn’t miss and wouldn’t work too hard to question over.”_

_“Or maybe you’ve been reading one too many mystery novels, Jug,” Toni tries to rationalize._

_“This isn’t just in my head, Toni. This is real –– and if I’m right, it’s just the beginning. It’s practice,” Jughead warns._

_“Practice for what?”_

_“Not for what. For who,” Jughead corrects as he takes a deep breath. “Practice for Riverdale's very first homegrown serial killer.”_

**STOP** ****

“And this logo is what?” Moose asks as he tries to get a closer look at the fading ink. ****

Toni shakes her head free of her memories as Moose hands her the receipt to look over. ****

She doesn’t miss the look of concern on his face. ****

“Looks like the letters **MWM**?” he asks her. ****

“That was our guess,” Kevin answers. “We tried to see if anyone around town recognized it, but no one did.” ****

“You said yesterday he kept his car pristine,” Toni comments, falling back into the rhythm of the conversation. “So why keep a month old receipt? That doesn’t….add up...” Toni’s voice trails off as she studies the logo, because–– ****

Something about it seems familiar. ****

She’s seen this logo before. ****

Moose raises an eyebrow at her, seeing her reaction. Toni squints her eyes and brings the evidence bag even closer to her face, exaggerating her observation of it. ****

Moose gets her message loud and clear: ****

 _Don’t ask me...yet._ ****

He turns to Kevin then to hear his answer. ****

“No clue,” Kevin says with a shrug, completely unaware of their quick and silent exchange. “It was found in the glovebox, so we just assumed he must have put it in there and forgot.” ****

Toni hums as she looks it over one last time before handing it back to Kevin.

“Well, thank you Sheriff,” Moose says. ****

“Where are you two off to now?” Kevin asks. ****

“The Blossom estate,” Moose answers. “Going over to talk to the sister, go over her statement.” ****

“Right,” Kevin says. “Well, let me know if you need me,” he says to them, but Toni doesn’t miss the way his eyes linger on Moose. ****

“Will do,” Toni responds as the two of them turn to walk away. ****

They walk out of the evidence garage quietly, neither of them speaking a word until they’re both safely back inside their car. ****

“Want to tell me what that was all about?” Moose asks, the second their doors are shut. He reaches over and starts the car. ****

“The logo. I’ve seen it before,” Toni answers. ****

“Where?” ****

“I’m not sure. It’s on the tip of my tongue though, you know? I know it’s on the Southside.” ****

Moose raises an eyebrow at that, “Kevin said they asked all around town and no one recognized it.” ****

“Yeah, all around town, a.k.a. The Northside,” Toni answers with a roll of her eyes and an exasperated sigh. ****

“Shit,” Moose comments. “We’ve got our work cut out for us, huh?” ****

“Yup,” Toni responds. “When you pull out, take a left, it’s the quickest way to Thornhill.” ****

Moose hums in response, but makes no move to reverse the car. ****

“Moose?” ****

“Before that,” he hesitantly starts, eyes on the steering wheel. “Before you looked at the receipt. Something else was on your mind.” ****

“Moose––” ****

“I’ve already asked you twice in the two days that we’ve been here if _you’re good_. I don’t want to ask a third time –– I don’t want to push. But I...I know what this town did to you. So if you’re not okay, please let me know. I got you, Topaz,” Moose softly says, turning to face her. ****

Toni swallows back her emotions at the look on his face. The sincerity of his request. ****

Partners. ****

Toni really couldn't haven’t asked for better. ****

The only man in her life that’s never disappointed her. ****

“I…” she begins to explain. “I just keep remembering moments from that summer, you know? Little things trigger it. But I’m okay, I promise,” she confesses. ****

“I still remember that night at the Academy,” Moose says softly. “Tell me your deepest darkest secret,” Moose chuckles quietly, quoting his own request from that night so long ago. ****

Toni remembers it well. ****

It was the night that cemented their friendship. A few drinks in and a lot of frustrations over their first few weeks at Quantico. Being there wasn't easy and it was taking its toll on them –– two small town kids who had never thought that that would be where they would end up. ****

So that night, after Moose had jokingly asked, they bared their souls. ****

Genuinely so. ****

Moose confessed to his father sending him to conversion therapy. ****

And Toni, _well_. ****

She told him about her best friend’s murder. ****

Confessions that had been nothing short of liberating. ****

Friends. ****

Back then, Toni had forgotten how good it had felt to have them. ****

“I’m here for you is what I’m saying,” Moose says as he shakes his head clear of his own memories. ****

“Me too, Moose. Me too.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next update should be up by wednesday 😎 also, for those who were asking, i've updated the tags! i decided to just go ahead and tag almost all the characters and warnings i was planning to eventually tag. if more tags are needed later on, those will de added! :)


	4. “It’s a lot for one family to go through”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PREVIEW:
> 
> "She remembers Cheryl from their teenage years. How could she not? They would cross paths at Pop’s from time to time and it was hard not to stare."
> 
> SUMMARY:
> 
> DAY TWO (CONT.)

* * *

“Josie McCoy,” Toni says, her interest piqued. “Huh.”

They’re pulling up to the mansion that is Thornhill when they spot the other woman. She’s standing beside her own car, closing the driver’s side door.

_What do we have here?_ Toni wonders.

“The mayor?” Moose asks, the confusion in his voice clear as he parks the car. 

“Mhm. And our dear Sheriff’s stepsister,” Toni answers.

“Huh,” he says, mimicking her. Moose shuts off the engine then and the two step out of the car.

“Mayor McCoy,” Toni greets the other woman as they approach her.

“Agent Topaz, Agent Mason,” she greets them in turn as she reaches over to shake their hands. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to welcome you to Riverdale yesterday. The world keeps turning, try as we might to stop it,” the woman laments.

“You knew Jason Blossom,” Toni says, more of a statement than a question. The tone in the other woman’s voice clearly one of mourning.

“I did. I’ve been friends with the Blossoms for many years. We grew up together, so this tragedy has hit home,” she responds. “I was actually on my way over to the Sheriff’s Station to properly introduce myself, before coming here to check on Cheryl. When I was told you were on your way here, I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.”

“Of course,” Toni replies. “We’re just here to go over Miss Blossom’s statement. That’s it.”

Josie nods, gesturing to the front door of the mansion in front of them. 

However, before they can take a step forward, Toni hears Moose whistle in appreciation.

“She’s a beaut,” he says, gently tapping the hood of Josie’s car with his knuckles. “A ‘77 Firebird right? You guys sure do love your classic cars around here,” he jokes. 

“We do love our slice of Americana,” Josie says in a singsong voice. Toni can hear her putting it on, though. Hears the forced cheeriness in her tone –– clearly annoyed by Moose’s distraction during such a serious situation.

Toni can’t help but be slightly amused at how easy to read both Kevin and Josie are when it comes to their annoyance. They might have no blood relation, but they truly are siblings through and through. 

“Shall we, then?” Josie says, trying to move them along.

Moose places his palm on the hood of her car briefly, before distractedly replying, “Yeah, yeah. Let’s.”

As they begin to walk toward the front door, Toni shoots Moose a glance.

It’s not like him to simply get distracted.

She watches as he squint his eyes at her for the briefest of moments.

She gets his message loud and clear:

_Don’t ask me...yet._

* * *

A part of Toni hates that her first thought upon seeing the grieving Cheryl Blossom for the first time is, _Wow she’s beautiful._

Like a heroine in a greek tragedy. 

She remembers Cheryl from their teenage years. How could she not? They would cross paths at Pop’s from time to time and it was hard not to stare. 

She was a total bombshell. 

However, Toni also distinctly remembers how she _wasn’t_ at the trial. 

She always did wonder about that.

Toni shakes her head free of her musings as Moose begins to speak.

“Miss Blossom, we can’t even begin to imagine the pain and uncertainty you’re going through right now,” he says as they take their seats across from her in the living room.

“He’s dead,” Cheryl suddenly says, causing Moose and Toni to exchange looks.

Cheryl lifts her right hand and places it over her heart. 

“There is no uncertainty. We shared a womb. I knew immediately when I awoke the next day that he was no longer among us,” Cheryl continues getting choked up. She takes a tissue from the coffee table in front of her and dabs at the corners of her eyes.

Toni doesn’t miss the soft look in Josie’s eyes, how she tenderly rubs Cheryl’s shoulder. 

Clocks right then and there that Josie’s lipstick doesn’t really match her outfit. 

It matches Cheryl’s shade.

Huh.

“He’s been cut from this mortal coil.”

“We’re sorry for your loss,” Toni quietly responds after a beat.

Cheryl looks up and locks eyes with her. Toni can see the appreciation in them –– grateful that she’s being taken seriously. 

“We’ll do our best to bring his body home, so that his soul may be at peace,” Toni continues.

“That’s all I ask,” Cheryl answers with a nod.

Toni and Moose share another look, a clear sign from her partner that she should take the lead here.

Toni usually lets Moose do most of the talking. His soft voice and non-threatening demeanor are always an asset in these sort of situations. Toni pokes and prods, Moose smooths things over. It’s just how they do things. However, it’s clear from how Cheryl’s shoulders have relaxed that she’s comfortable speaking with Toni and that’s something that they have to take advantage of.

Toni nods at the other woman, before she begins speaking then, “We’re really just interested in going over your statement about what Jason’s day was like that Friday.”

“Of course.”

“Walk us through it,” Toni prompts.

“Well, ever since our teenage years, Jason enjoyed going on a morning run. Our estate is expansive and we have hiking trails that lead into the Thornhill Nature Preserve. He would go on his run and then return here to Thornhill Manor. He’d usually make himself breakfast –– the manor has a kitchen staff, but he would always insist. It’s the only meal he could cook, you see,” Cheryl says with a soft laugh. A faraway look in her eyes.

“And after breakfast?” Toni quietly asks, hoping to pull her back into the present.

“Work in his office,” Cheryl dutifully answers. “He was in the middle of securing a contract to develop maple-flavored juuls.” 

“Right,” Toni responds. 

“After that he met us for lunch. It’s usually the one meal a day we try to all eat together.”

“And when you say met?” Moose says, asking her to clarify.  
  
“I currently reside at Thistlehouse with our Nana. It’s the oldest property on the grounds. Nana Rose is old and requires around the clock care and attention. Jason would drive down and we’d eat together. Our Uncle Claudius would join us when he could. He’s rather fond of another property on the estate, the Thornhill Hunting Lodge, which is where he resides.”

“And he, your Uncle Claudius, he was out of town at the time, correct?” Toni asks, quickly glancing at her own notes.

“Yes. He arrived back in Riverdale the following Monday, distraught of course,” Cheryl answers.

“He’s the one who raised you both, right?”

“Indeed. Our parents passed away when we were mere infants –– a boating accident. Our Uncle Claudius came to live with us then,” Cheryl quietly explains.

“I’m sorry,” Toni says. “It’s a lot for one family to go through.”

“It is.”

Toni nods.

A beat passes, before she continues with her questions.

“Was lunch the last time you saw Jason?”

“It was,” Cheryl answers, her voice slightly breaking. 

Toni watches as Josie squeezes her shoulder.

“I had no prior commitments that evening and had intended to merely stay in and watch a film with Nana Rose. I invited him to join us, but he declined. He had dinner plans.”

“He was meeting someone,” Toni comments.

“The woman he was seeing, yes,” Cheryl casually says.

Toni and Moose quickly share a look.

Kevin had said that they suspected he was meeting someone. However, there was no indication from him that they suspected anyone in particular.

“Do you know the name of this woman?” Toni asks, hoping to get more out of Cheryl.  
  
“No. Nor do I know what she looks like. Like I told Sheriff Grande, I just know that Jason was seeing someone. Had been seeing her for the last four months, I would say. He’s been burned by previous lovers in the past, so he was incredibly private about those affairs in recent times.”

“I see,” Toni says.

“That’s really it,” Cheryl says then. “We texted once more, wishing each other enjoyable evenings. _Have fun, I love you_ ,” Cheryl says, shaking her head in anger at how the situation turned out.

Moose and Toni share another look, before Toni begins to close her small notebook.

“Well, thank you for your time Miss Blossom,” she says as they stand. “If you remember anything else that you think might be relevant, please do not hesitate to contact us,” Toni says as she hands Cheryl her card.

“He was my soulmate,” Cheryl says as she looks over the card, still sitting on the couch. “Please bring him home to me, Agent Topaz.”

“We’ll do our best.”

Josie stands to walk them out then. They’re barely out the door when Moose pauses and turns around. He looks at Josie before speaking.

“Mayor McCoy, where were you that evening?” Moose asks. “The night Jason went missing,” he clarifies unnecessarily. 

Toni sees the indignation flare up in the Mayor’s eyes. 

“Protocol,” Moose says, shrugging. “You understand.”

“Of course,” Josie begins to respond. Clearly attempting her best to not snap at him. “I was in Greendale. I had a dinner meeting with the Mayor there. We have future plans for a more united township.”

Moose nods at her response.

“Thank you for your time,” Toni says, before the two finally walk away.

* * *

They release simultaneous sighs of relief as they shut their car doors.

“That was…a lot,” Moose says with a chuckle as he starts the car.

“It was. Which is good for us.”

“Why do you think Grande didn’t tell us about this mystery woman?” Moose asks as he begins driving them down the Thornhill driveway.

“If I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt, assuming that he’s _not_ looking to be the hero of the story here, my guess is that he thinks it’s all conjecture on her part. She doesn't know the woman’s name or what she looks like. She _assumes_ her brother was seeing someone. It’s a hunch at best,” Toni rationalizes. “I’d probably be tempted to dismiss it too.” 

“Except you know better. This is the first real lead we’ve had.”

“It would certainly fit with this not being about the money.”

“A crime of passion.”

“Speaking of passion,” Toni says as they pass the gates to the estate. “Did you happen to notice Madame Mayor’s lipstick?”

“You mean the exact same one Miss Blossom was wearing? The lipstick that matched Miss Blossom’s outfit, not Mayor McCoy’s? That lipstick?” Moose playfully shoots back.

“Mhm.”

“I’ve got a kicker for you too on that note.”

“Do tell.”

“The car’s hood was cold.”

“And if she had just been arriving at the same time as us, as she implied that she was––” Toni says, shaking her head as she follows his line of thought.

“––It would have been hot. Warm at the very least,” Moose confirms.

“Huh.”

“So which is the secret?” Moose asks, his tone now more serious, as he continues to drive them back to the Sheriff’s Station. “That they’re gay? Or that they’re together?”

“I’m...not sure, actually,” Toni answers, pondering the question.

She was never too aware of Northsider gossip. At most, she’d see the over the top fights that couples would have in Pop’s parking lot –– teenagers, through and through. On occasion, they’d catch a few Northsiders trying to get freaky at the Drive-In.

**REWIND**

_“Jones, you in here?” Toni asks as she knocks on the door to the projection booth. “You’ll never guess what I just saw happening in the back of a truck. I get that it’s dead tonight, but some people really have no shame,” she continues, opening the door without waiting for an answer._

_As she steps fully in, she spots a full-on murder board on the wall._

_“Holy shit.”_

_Jughead turns around from staring at it, a small tape recorder in his hand that he’s clearly speaking into. He clicks a button to stop it from recording._

_“Hey,” he greets her with a smile, despite the massive bags under his eyes._

_“You’ve been busy,” Toni comments as she steps closer. She drops her bag by the desk and walks over to better see the board._

_Jughead has pictures of all 8 murder victims placed on the board. She skims the index cards he’s placed under them with the main facts._

_“All done on Friday evenings, between 10:00pm and midnight,” Toni notes. “That’s two a night. Jesus.”_

_“Makes it easier for the Register to bury the news a few pages in, because who the hell actually sits down on a Saturday morning to read the paper cover to cover, right?” Jughead muses. “More space for those stupid ‘Letters From the Editor’ that they keep printing.”_

_“Those run on Sundays,” Toni distractedly responds as she continues to look over his board, to which Jughead shrugs._

_“Don’t bother reading them anymore, already know what they’re all going to say,” he bitterly remarks._

_“Shit,” Toni says as she finds the picture of Stinky Steve. It’s his high school graduation picture. Damn. “The time frame –– that’s definitely a pattern.”_

_“So’s this,” Jughead says as he points to his index cards. “They were all stabbed in the gut. All of them bled to death.”_

_“Jesus, Jughead.”_

_“I’m telling you, this is someone with a plan.”_

_“So what’s the motive?” Toni questions as she turns toward Jughead then. “Why are they doing this?”_

_“Isn’t it obvious?” Jughead questions as he takes a seat on the cot he’s got set up in there. “We’re Southside Scum –– and they’re cleaning house.”_

**STOP**

“At the moment,” Moose’s voice cuts through her thoughts, bringing her back into the present. “I don’t think it’s relevant. Do you?”

Toni shakes her head as she falls back into the rhythm of their conversation, “No, I don’t. That grief seemed genuine, all things considered. I’m not interested in outing anybody just to see what shakes out. Not yet, anyway,” she tiredly sighs.

“Agreed,” Moose responds and Toni can see how his jaw clenches, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.

Remembers how she’s not the only one haunted by scars from the past.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello ✌🏼 the next chapter should be up by friday :)


	5. “Did you kill Jason Blossom?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PREVIEW:
> 
> "One fed in Serpent territory has always been one fed too many."
> 
> SUMMARY:
> 
> DAY TWO (NIGHT)

* * *

**REWIND**

_“Do you hear that?”_

_“Hear what?” she asks, giggling as his hand tickles her side._

_“Shhh, listen,” he says and she swears she can hear the smile on his face._

_“Then stop tickling me,” Toni shoots back, still giggling._

_“Listen,” he says again, quieter this time. Stilling his fingers over her hip._

_Toni briefly wonders how it is they got to this place._

_To this comfort._

_From rushed hookups behind trailers and stolen moments at the Motel 3, to now this –– lying in bed naked together. The blanket barely up to their hips. Toni on her back, with Sweet Pea’s arm thrown around her middle. His lips leaving tender kisses in the space between her neck and shoulder._

_No quickly buttoning up pants because you hear someone walking around, no rushing out the door because the hour you booked the room for is over._

_Instead, it’s....this._

_Intimacy._

_“I don’t hear anything,” she answers finally._

_“Exactly,” he says. “Silence. Some fucking peace and quiet.”_

_“I know your mom gets on your nerves, but...Don’t you regret not going with her to go see James?”_

_“You mean Beanstalk?” Sweet Pea says with a snort as he pulls away to lie on his back._

_“You know he hates that nickname,” Toni says, turning over onto her side now. She stares at his profile, at the ever-present fading bruises on his face._

_Toni briefly wonders if Sweet Pea has ever gone more than two days without a black eye. Always picking fights._

_“You don’t choose the nickname, the nickname chooses you,” Sweet Pea says. “My brother got a shit one and you know what? He deserves it. Fuck him.”_

_“You used to think he was the greatest thing when we were kids,” Toni comments as she reaches over to trace her fingers softly over his bare shoulder and bicep._

_“Yeah, that was before he shoved his head so far up his own ass that he almost wrecked the Serpents. Thinking he knew better, knew best. Ten years in lockup. Guess he didn’t know shit at all, huh?” he says, turning on his side now so that they’re face to face._

_“Guess so,” Toni quietly murmurs as they stare at each other._

_She watches as he relaxes then, the touchy subject of his family left behind. Watches as his face softens the more he looks at her. How his lips subconsciously turn up into a smile._

_How his eyes roam over her face. The look in them echoing a four letter word that Toni has no idea how she’ll react to if it ever leaves his lips._

_Toni swallows._

_Before either of them can say anything more though, loud banging on the trailer’s door interrupts them._

_Sweet Pea huffs before calling out, “What?!"_

_Doesn’t even need to leave his room for his voice to carry outside._

_They live in tin cans after all._

_“I’m looking for Toni!” they hear Jughead’s voice call out._

_And Toni sees how in an instant Sweet Pea’s soft demeanor changes. How he tenses –– how his eyes darken with jealousy._

_“Just a sec!” she shouts back._

_Before Sweet Pea can move, Toni leans forward and presses her lips to his. She feels as Sweet Pea immediately deepens the kiss, his hand reaching forward to squeeze her hip. Toni pulls back, giving him a final quick peck, before finally sitting up in bed._

_Sweet Pea doesn’t say anything, but Toni can just feel how he’s calmed. Not completely, but enough._

_Sweet Pea reaches for the pile of clean clothes laying on a chair in the corner of his room and quickly throws Toni one of his own t-shirts and boxers. He pulls one of each for himself too._

_Toni quickly dresses, throwing her hair up into a messy ponytail as she walks over to the trailer door. Sweet Pea follows her out of the room, but he makes a beeline for the kitchen to get a glass of water instead._

_As soon as Toni opens the door, Jughead rushes in._

_“Look,” he says, shoving the day’s newspaper into her hands._

_Jughead usually tends to avoid coming by Sweet Pea’s trailer when he knows Toni is there. So the fact that he’s here and has barely batted an eye at her attire –– or lack thereof –– means that it must be serious._

_Toni glances at the newspaper._

_And there it is._

_On the front fucking page._

_SOUTHSIDE SERIAL KILLER? THE DARK ANGEL SENDS A MESSAGE TO ALL_

_“He wrote a letter to the Register,” Jughead explains. “Named himself the Dark Angel and said his motive is to purge the town of its sins so that he may ascend.”_

_“Is this about your serial killer?” Sweet Pea suddenly asks, stepping behind Toni to read the paper over her shoulder._

_Jughead suddenly looks up at him –– almost as if only just now realizing exactly where he is._

_“You told him?” he asks, his tone just verging on accusatory._

_“Of course I did,” Toni says, her tone just verging on defensive. “You said there’s a potential serial killer out there, we all need to be on high alert,” she explains. She watches then as Jughead’s eyes finally take in her clothes._

_“Right,” he says and Toni can see him swallowing back his emotions._

_The jealousy that eats him alive._

_“So what happens now?” Toni asks instead. Ignoring the elephant in the room. “What do we do now?”_

_“The only thing we can do,” Jughead answers with a sigh. “We have to figure out who he is and stop that son of a bitch.”_

**STOP**

Toni shakes her head, clearing it of her memories. She had driven by Sunnyside Trailer Park on her way to the Whyte Wyrm and had immediately been bombarded with them. 

Unable to escape the flashes. 

Unable to escape the heartache that comes along with them.

It’s all just bullshit.

She’s parked at the Wyrm now and so she takes a deep breath –– willing the memories to go away. 

“You got this, Topaz,” she murmurs to herself. Nodding as she steps out of the car a beat later.

She’s got this.

She’s got a job to do.

She feels her phone vibrate in her jacket pocket a beat later though, as she’s walking toward the entrance. She pulls it out and sees a string of texts from Moose.

 **I still don’t like you doing this alone, but fine.** **  
****I’ll stay put.** **  
****Let me know if you need ANYTHING though.  
** **I’m serious, Topaz.**

Toni smiles as she shoots him a text back.

****Will do!** **

Moose had been understandably upset when Toni had come by his room to get the keys to their car. After their interview with Cheryl Blossom, the duo had headed back to the Sheriff’s Station to go over everything they had so far. Trying to make sense of Jason Blossom’s life and seeing if they could figure out who exactly this mystery woman is. ****

Eventually, the sun had started to set and they’d opted to get dinner and head back to the Five Seasons. No closer to finding out who this woman could be, but at least with concrete plans to visit Reggie Mantle at work the following morning in order to go over his statement. ****

As Toni steps into the Wyrm though, she knows she made the right call in coming alone. ****

The place is pretty busy and she knows that she’s already pushing it by showing up unannounced. ****

One fed in Serpent territory has always been one fed too many. ****

“Toni Friggin’ Topaz,” she suddenly hears. She turns to look toward the bar and spots none other than Fangs Fogarty. He smiles widely at her, the surprise clear on his face though. He steps away from the counter and walks over to hug her. ****

“Look at you,” he says as he pulls back, pride in his eyes. “Shit. You look good, babe.” ****

“Thanks,” Toni answers with a laugh. “You, uh, don’t look too bad yourself –– although this polo shirt is certainly not your usual style,” she jokes pulling at the black shirt under his Serpent jacket. ****

“I got off work late,” he says playfully rolling his eyes. “Inventory. Was just dying for a beer, so I came straight here.” ****

“Makes sense,” Toni says with an easy smile. ****

“Speaking of, you want one? My treat,” he offers. “You can tell me all about why you’re in town.” ****

Toni smiles fondly. If there’s one thing she’s always appreciated about Fangs is how easy it is to fall back into their friendship. No hassle, no baggage –– just two friends who can grab a beer together no matter how long it’s been since the last one. ****

“I appreciate it, but I’m actually on the clock,” she says. “Next time.” ****

Toni watches as it suddenly dawns on Fangs the reason as to why she’s in town. ****

“You’re here ‘cause of Jason Blossom, right? Shit, I didn’t realize it was that serious. You know, bringing in the feds and all that.” ****

“How serious did you think it was?” Toni asks curiously. ****

“Dunno. Figured he skipped town with a couple G’s. That he was sitting on a beach somewhere sipping on a piña colada and getting his dick sucked,” Fangs jokes. ****

“Not quite,” she says, shaking her head in amusement despite herself. ****

Fangs Fogarty. ****

Never change. ****

“It’s legit then?” he asks, his voice now taking on a more serious tone. “He’s gone missing.” ****

“Very much so. Which is why I’m here. I’m looking to talk to your boy, since he was one of the last people to see him alive.” ****

A brief look of confusion crosses Fangs' face, before he realizes who Toni is talking about. ****

“You mean Joaquin? He’s not my boy anymore,” he answers with a roll of his eyes. ****

“Really? Since when?” ****

“Since he decided to go around being a homewrecker,” Fangs answers. “Look, I’m down for some non-monogamous fun, but we’re not teenagers anymore. I’m over shit getting messy. Anyway, I’m seeing someone new now. I’ve upgraded,” he finishes with a cocky smirk. ****

“Oh, do tell,” Toni asks, letting herself get caught up in the small town gossip for just a beat. ****

“Uh, well,” Fangs begins to explain, a sheepish look crossing his face. “It’s my boss at work.” ****

Toni can’t help but huff out a laugh. ****

“Hey! It might not make our nonexistent HR happy, but at least it’s not morally wrong. You know?” ****

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, kid,” Toni jokes. ****

“Anyway,” Fangs says with a smile, “Joaquin is over there.” ****

He gestures to the back of the bar and Toni’s eyes follow, spotting the other man. ****

“Thanks,” Toni answers. “I’ll catch you later, Fangs.” ****

“Toni –– wait,” Fangs says, suddenly stopping her. He steps closer to her, glancing around before speaking in a quieter tone. “Does Sweets know you’re in town?” ****

Toni tries her hardest not to flinch. ****

The memory from earlier rushing back to the forefront of her mind. ****

 _A four letter word that Toni has no idea how she’ll react to if it ever leaves his lips._ ****

“Uh, yeah. He does.” ****

“Have you spoken to him?” ****

Toni thinks of all the times she’s checked her phone during the day. ****

Still no messages. ****

“Not yet,” she answers, swallowing. “I really only got in yesterday, so.” ****

“I’m not trying to pry,” Fangs softly explains. “He’s working the kitchen tonight,” he says, gesturing behind the bar. ****

Toni releases a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding. “Thanks,” she answers nodding. ****

Fangs nods back with an understanding smile, before turning back to the bar to get his beers. ****

Toni was already pretty sure she’d bump into him at the Wyrm, but the confirmation at least takes away any uncertainty. ****

She can prepare. ****

She takes a deep breath then, nodding to herself, before turning to walk over to Joaquin. He’s talking to some Serpent whose back is to her, but Toni catches the moment he spots her approaching. Watches as he smirks. ****

“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in,” he says as she reaches him. ****

“Joaquin,” she greets, before looking at the Serpent, a blonde boy she doesn’t recognize. ****

“Show some respect, Baby Teeth. You’re looking at a Serpent Legacy. Toni Topaz,” he says to the boy across from him, a mocking tone to his voice. ****

Toni gives him a strained smile as she glances at the boy. ****

“Serpent Legacy turned fed,” Joaquin continues, as he eyes Toni’s holstered gun. ****

Toni hears the bite in his tone. ****

“What?” Baby Teeth suddenly asks, the shock clear as day on his face. “You’re a fed?” ****

“I am.” ****

Baby Teeth looks between them, clearly distressed. ****

“Just go get yourself another beer, kid. And try not to shit your pants on the way there,” Joaquin says with a snort as he reaches to take a sip of his own drink. ****

Baby Teeth looks between them once more, before quickly getting up from his seat and heading for the bar. ****

Toni watches him go for a beat, before taking the now empty seat across from Joaquin. ****

“New recruits,” Joaquin comments, shaking his head. “They act like scheduling pickups and drop-offs is rocket science,” he scoffs. “You’re not gonna arrest us, are you Agent?” he snarkily asks her. ****

 _God, once an asshole always an asshole_ , Toni can’t help but think. ****

“Not tonight,” she shoots back with a mocking smile. ****

“Of course not,” he says nodding along. “You’ve got bigger fish to fry, don’t you?” ****

“You tell me.” ****

He smirks at her for a beat, before reaching again to take a sip of his beer. ****

“You know,” he starts, leaning back in his chair. “When I heard the feds were coming, I figured it would be you.” ****

His comment makes Toni pause. ****

She’d only been told about being reassigned to Riverdale two days before it happened. ****

“How’d you know the FBI had been contacted?” she asks him, curious now about his answer. ****

“You know me, Topaz. I’ve always got my ear to the ground,” he answers nonchalantly. “Gotta cultivate your sources –– you know how it is.” ****

It takes Toni a second before it clicks in her brain. ****

There’s really only one way Joaquin could have been that well informed. ****

“Sources, huh?” she says in a casual tone. “I’m surprised. I didn’t realize Sheriff Grande was a top.” ****

Joaquin freezes for a beat. ****

 _Gotcha asshole,_ she thinks to herself with a smirk. _Homewrecker indeed._ ****

Explains why Kevin had seemingly no qualms about looking Moose up and down. ****

A serial cheater. ****

 _Thank you, Fangs,_ Toni smugly thinks. ****

Joaquin chuckles humorlessly. He shakes his head, carding his fingers through his hair for a beat. ****

“I forgot just how fucking clever you are,” he snarkily says. “What was it that they used to call you? The second smartest brain in the Southside?” ****

He pauses then for a beat, before finishing his thought. ****

“Well, _first_ now right?” ****

Toni feels her breath leave her lungs at such a callous comment. ****

He lifts his beer at her then, a mock toast. ****

“To Jughead Jones. Resting in peace,” he says before downing the last of his beer. ****

Toni clenches her jaw. Clasps her hands together tightly under the table to avoid the temptation. Looks over to the pool tables across from them as she takes a deep breath –– truly needing a moment to compose herself before she loses it and actually decks him. ****

She’d do it. ****

The paperwork would be worth it, to be honest. ****

Moose's disappointment, however, less so. ****

As she’s taking another calming breath though, something catches her eye. ****

Fangs has taken off his Serpent jacket in order to better maneuver the pool cue. His work polo is now fully visible and on it? ****

 **MWM** ****

The same logo from the receipt. ****

And it finally comes to Toni. ****

 **M** oore **W** ash & **M** ore ****

The local car wash. ****

So how does it fit? ****

She puts a pin in it for now, finally turning back to Joaquin. ****

They stare at each other for a beat, before he speaks up. ****

“How about we cut the bullshit and you ask me what you came here to ask me. What you really want to know,” he says leaning forward on the table. ****

“Did you kill Jason Blossom?” Toni asks without hesitation. ****

“No,” he answers. “Ask the girls working the shift that night. _Hell_ _,_ ask Pop –– he saw me. I was still sitting at my booth long after that carrot top walked out.” ****

Toni takes in his answer with a nod. ****

She believes him. ****

Joaquin leans back in his chair again and snaps his fingers at a random Serpent. Another new recruit most likely, given how young the kid looks. ****

“Get the next round,” he orders. ****

The kid rushes to the bar and not a second later, Toni hears a commotion behind her. ****

She turns to look at the bar and spots the kid having crashed into none other than F.P. Jones. ****

Or rather, F.P. having crashed into him, since he’s clearly completely wasted. ****

Toni takes in a sharp breath then –– her eyes landing on the person that suddenly appears behind the two. ****

Sweet Pea. ****

His arms around F.P. clearly the only thing keeping the older man on his feet. She watches as Sweet Pea sets F.P. down on a booth, gesturing at him to stay put, as he turns back toward the kitchen. ****

“Excuse me,” Toni says to Joaquin then as she stands. ****

“Some things never change, huh?” Joaquin says to her before she takes a step. ****

Toni turns to him with a raised eyebrow. ****

“Always ready for the D from the Pea,” he says with an obnoxious laugh. ****

Toni clenches her jaw. ****

 _Asshole, asshole, asshole._ ****

“You know,” Joaquin continues. “The last time you came to visit, he got so drunk a few nights later. Babbling on and on about you kissing Jughead. It was sad to watch to be honest,” he comments nonchalantly. ****

Toni feels the air leave her lungs.

**REWIND**

_“Fuck!” she hears Sweet Pea shout behind her. ****_

_“Call 911!” she shouts as she quickly reaches for the blanket Jughead keeps on the cot and presses it against his stomach. Trying her hardest to stop the bleeding. ****_

_He’s growing paler by the second though, his eyes starting to lose focus. ****_

_“Stay with me, Jughead! Just stay with me!” she desperately pleads, rapidly blinking as her tears mix with the blood dripping down her face and into her right eye. ****_

_Barely registering the throbbing above her eyebrow through her panic. ****_

_She watches as Jughead locks eyes with her a beat later. ****_

_“I-I love you,” he manages to croak out. ****_

_And Toni knows in that moment that this is it. ****_

_Nothing other than death would make Jughead Jones so bold. ****_

_So brave. ****_

_She presses down on his stomach even harder as she sobs. ****_

_“I love you too,” she chokes out. ****_

_It’s not the same kind of love, though. ****_

_She knows it. ****_

_He does too. ****_

_But she’ll give him this. ****_

_And for once in his life he won’t ask any questions. ****_

_He’ll take it. ****_

_She leans over then and presses her lips to his. ****_

_She can still hear Sweet Pea shouting down the phone behind them. ****_

_As she pulls back, she feels Jughead exhale. ****_

_A look of peace and acceptance on his face. ****_

_The ambulance arrives 10 minutes later. ****_

_Jughead’s blood soaks the floor of the projection booth. ****_

_Sweet Pea has to hold her back so that the paramedics can get to the body. ****_

_Toni will never be the same._

**STOP**

Toni turns away from Joaquin without a word then, walking over to where F.P. is sitting. Just as she reaches him, Sweet Pea comes back out from the kitchen. ****

She can tell that he’s surprised to see her, but he recovers quickly. ****

“I’ve got my car,” Toni says. ****

Sweet Pea only nods as he reaches for F.P. then, helping him stand as the three of them walk out the door. ****

* * *

They’re at Sunnyside a few minutes later, Sweet Pea having managed to wrangle a belligerent F.P. into his trailer. F.P. had been insistent on going back to his own, but Sweet Pea had adamantly refused. ****

“If you choke on your own vomit everyone’s gonna be on my ass about it,” he grumbles as he manages to force F.P. down onto his couch. ****

Toni watches as Sweet Pea reaches into the man’s waistband then and takes a hold of his gun. He sets it down on the coffee table before walking over to the other end of the couch to start unlacing the older man’s boots. A practiced ease to his movements that lets Toni know that this is not the first time that this has happened. ****

That, and well, the puke bucket under the coffee table too. ****

F.P. groans from his place on the couch until he suddenly spots Toni. ****

“Topaz,” F.P. drunkenly mumbles. ****

Toni can see in his eyes that he’s so far gone. ****

“Does my boy know you’re here?” he slurs. ****

Toni’s not sure who flinches harder, her or Sweet Pea. ****

“He does,” she answers after a beat, a lump in her throat. ****

“Good, good,” he mumbles again, as Sweet Pea finishes taking off his second boot, placing both of them by the coffee table. Toni watches as F.P. almost immediately passes out. ****

Sweet Pea sighs tiredly as he walks over to his kitchen. Toni follows him and watches as he pulls out a beer for himself. He uses his lighter to pop open the cap and takes a swig almost instantly. ****

Toni stands by the small kitchen table, watches as Sweet Pea moves to lean against the kitchen counter. ****

The two of them now standing face-to-face. ****

For the first time in ten years. ****

Toni can’t help but think that, despite the exhaustion on his face, he still looks just as handsome as ever. ****

Maybe even more so. ****

“How’s the investigation going?” he asks, finally breaking the silence between them. His voice gruff. ****

Toni takes a deep breath before answering. ****

“Could be better,” she confesses. ****

He nods understandingly, before taking another swig of his beer. ****

Silence engulfs them again as neither of them knows what to say. ****

Or how to say it. ****

Sometimes Toni thinks that there aren’t enough words for all that she wants to say –– for all that she feels. ****

The messy fucked up parts of it all. ****

The grief.  
The heartache.  
The mourning.  
The yearning.  
The longing.  
The love. ****

“Sweets...” she starts to say, truly unsure of where she’s going with it. ****

“Your hair looks nice like that,” he says, interrupting her. ****

His voice soft and timid. ****

Toni can’t help the way her heart flutters at the way he’s looking at her. ****

“Thank you,” Toni answers just as softly. ****

She watches as he swallows. As he sets his beer on the counter behind him and stands up straight. As he walks over to her. ****

Toni has to crane her neck up once he’s in her personal space. His left hand reaches for her cheek, cupping it for a beat, before he moves his thumb to gently trace the scar above her right eyebrow. Toni exhales shakily. ****

A beat passes, before she lets herself melt into his touch. ****

And not a second later he’s reaching for her. ****

Picking her up effortlessly as she reaches for his face, their lips meeting passionately. ****

Sometimes Toni thinks that there aren’t enough words for all that she wants to say. ****

They’ve always let their bodies do the talking anyway. ****

* * *

**REWIND**

_“Do you really think Jones is right about all of this?” Sweet Pea asks._

_Toni’s touching up her makeup in his bathroom mirror and she can feel his eyes on her from where he’s standing in the hallway. Jughead had invited her over to Pop’s right before leaving, eager to get started on going over possible theories and suspects. Toni had agreed to meet him there after taking a quick shower._

_“You saw the paper. Front page news and everything,” Toni answers as she finishes her eyeliner._

_Sweet Pea sighs._

_“Just–– be careful, okay? You know how Jughead gets. He’s always running off to do shit without ever thinking about the consequences,” he says._

_“You worried about me?” Toni jokes as she gives herself a final once-over._

_“Yes,” he answers, sounding much more sincere than Toni had been expecting him to._

_She pauses then and turns to look at him._

_“Sweets…”_

_Toni watches as he pushes himself off the wall and walks closer, standing in the doorframe now._

_She has to crane her neck up to lock eyes with him._

_“I care about you,” he softly says._

_Toni sees that four letter word in his eyes again._

_The one that Toni has no idea how she’ll react to if it ever leaves his lips._

_So she tries to joke –– to deflect._

_“Worried you’ll lose the best fuck you’ve ever had?” Toni jokes._

_She expects him to joke back, to follow her lead, to defuse the tension._

_Like they always do._

_What she doesn’t expect?_

_The look of hurt that crosses his face._

_How he flinches._

_“Sweet Pea––” she starts to say as he takes a step back into the hallway._

_“Just stay safe, Toni.”_

**STOP**

“I should go.”

She stands from the bed then and begins to collect her clothes.

“It’s the middle of the night,” Sweet Pea says, sitting up as he glances at the alarm clock on his nightstand. “Just crash here.”

“I can’t,” Toni answers, slipping her underwear back on, her back to the bed.

Her back to Sweet Pea.

Because she knows –– if she looks at him.

If he asks again.

If he looks at her like _that_ again.

“No, of course you can’t,” he bitterly responds. Toni hears him roughly throw the covers off the bed as he reaches for his boxers. “Do what you always do, Toni.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Toni asks, turning back to face him then.

“It means I’ll see you in ten years, when you’re back for your next fuck.”

“You think this is just about sex?” she scoffs, as she angrily beds down to pick up her pants. “I’m not the one ignoring phone calls and ignoring text messages and voicemails and even fucking emails!” she shouts as she roughly pulls them up her legs.

_How dare he?_

As if Toni hasn’t spent the entire day agonizing over a fucking text message. 

“I’m not the one refusing to come back to Riverdale!”

“I can’t! You know I can’t! You _know_ ,” she says, her voice betraying her as it cracks.

_Fuck._

Toni takes a shaky breath. Tries her fucking hardest to keep her tears at bay.

She’s unsuccessful. 

She wipes her eyes roughly as she reaches for her shirt and tugs it on.

She can’t come back here. 

He knows that.

Not when driving into town makes her eyebrow throb.   
Not when a simple milkshake makes her weepy.   
Not when seeing F.P. makes her feel guilty.

Time heals all wounds?

It’s the biggest load of bullshit Toni has ever heard.

Time’s done nothing but made her wallow in it even more.

She reaches for her jacket then and pulls it on. Puts on her shoes and reholsters her gun. 

Once she’s fully dressed she gives the floor a final glance before finally turning back to Sweet Pea. He’s sitting on the bed, his head bowed as he pinches the space between his left thumb and index finger.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” he starts to say softly, his eyes on the bed. “I was sitting on the steps to the trailer and you ran up and asked me to come play hopscotch with you…We must have been like what? Five years old?” he says with a fond chuckle. “I went with you, of course I went with you, and I saw that you had drawn the squares in the dirt with a stick. So I ran back home and stole my brother’s spray paint and came back and sprayed over your lines. You had the biggest smile on your face after.”

A beat passes, before he finishes.

“I think I’ve been in love with you my whole life.”

Toni takes a sharp breath.

“And every time things would take a step forward, you would pull back,” he continues. “Every time things would take a step forward –– there was _Jughead_ ,” he bitterly says. “Do you know how hard it is to be angry at a dead kid?” he chuckles humorlessly. “Makes you feel like the world’s biggest piece of shit.”

“If this is about a kiss––” Toni starts to say, Joaquin’s dig from earlier getting to her.

“--It’s not about a damn kiss, Toni,” Sweet Pea interrupts her, the hurt in his voice clear. He finally looks up at her and the two lock eyes. Toni can see the tears swimming in them. Feels her own vision start to get blurry again. “I don’t care that you kissed a dying man. It’s about everything that came _after_ _._ Jughead died and you pulled away even further. And I just knew,” he pauses, his voice shaky. “I _knew_ you regretted having ever wasted your time with me _,_ when you could have had him.”

“No,” Toni rushes to correct. “That’s not –– it wasn’t like that.”

**REWI—**

_“I love you too,” she chokes out._ ****

She has to correct him, because he needs to understand. ****

 _It’s not the same kind of love, though._ ****

It never was. ****

 _She knows it._ ****

She always knew. ****

 _He does too._ ****

And Jughead could see it from a mile away. ****

 _But she’ll give him this._ ****

Because Jughead had been brave. ****

 _And for once in his life he won’t ask any questions._ ****

Because Jughead was dying. ****

_He’ll take it._

**—OP**

Because it’s all Toni had left to give.

“Jughead was in love with me,” Toni says.

A beat passes.

“He was in love with me,” she continues, her voice shaky. “And I didn’t love him back,” she shrugs helplessly. “But I never told him to stop or–or to move on. I didn’t want to hurt him. I couldn’t say yes to you _,_ because that would change us _._ The three of us,” Toni chokes out, watches as tears spill down Sweet Pea’s cheek. “And I didn’t want to lose him _or_ you. I was selfish and I was a coward,” she admits, her own tears finally spilling. “And then he died –– he died never knowing what it was like for someone to love him back. I did that to him _._ I _stole_ that from him. So how on earth do I deserve to be the one that has a happy ending?” she sobs.

Because that’s what it’s always been about, hasn’t it?

Her shame and her guilt over how much of a selfish coward she had been. How in her desperation to not hurt either of them, she had ended up hurting both of them. How Jughead’s life was ripped away and what did he have to show for it in the end? 

A pity kiss?

How the fuck was that fair?

And how is she supposed to just move on?

Toni wipes her tears, watches as Sweet Pea does the same.

The two lock eyes again, before Sweet Pea starts to speak again.

“Jughead’s dead, Toni. And that’s not on you –– it’s on that crazy bitch. And the stupid mistakes we made when we were teenagers? Why are you still punishing yourself for them? Why are you still punishing me?” he chokes out. 

“Sweet Pea––”

“Jughead’s dead, Toni. So why do you keep prioritizing his love for you over mine?”

Toni feels the air leave her lungs.

“Why can you only care about me when you’re not here?” he quietly finishes.

And it's like she’s just been punched in the gut.

Because fuck. 

_Fuck._

Before Toni can even begin to find the words, the sound of throwing up from the living room reaches their ears.

F.P.

“I have to go,” she manages to say, already halfway out of the bedroom.

_Coward._

“You haven’t asked me yet,” Sweet Pea suddenly says. His voice stopping her in her tracks. She turns back to him. “You haven’t asked me if I know anything about Jason Blossom’s disappearance.”

“Do you?” 

“I saw him that Friday, at the Wash. Drove in just as he was pulling out.”

“That same Friday he went missing?” Toni asks, confused. 

That’s not something they knew.

“Yes.”

And suddenly it clicks.

Jason went to the car wash that afternoon.

Which means they’ve got this all wrong.

“Toni––” Sweet Pea says, catching her attention again despite her mind going a mile a minute. “Joaquin was tailing him.”

“ _What?_ Are you sure?”

“Trust me,” he says nodding. “I’ve pulled enough Serpent shifts with him to know. He was following Jason Blossom.”

Toni nods at him.

“Thank you.”

He nods back.

She leaves, rushing out the trailer, hoping F.P. doesn’t recognize her again.

She knows she’s a coward.

But she’s got a job to do.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think it's safe to say that we're halfway there! i'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter 👀 anyway, i'm hoping to get the next update up by either monday or tuesday, weather permitting (there's a storm coming 🙃) in any case, you can find me over on my [tumblr](https://distractioncake.tumblr.com/) if you want to come talk about the fic or just to say hello 😌✨


	6. “You can’t force loyalty”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PREVIEW:
> 
> "If they’re right, this changes everything they thought they knew about what happened that Friday night."
> 
> SUMMARY:
> 
> DAY THREE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for the major delay with this chapter! had a very busy week IRL, but we are back with regularly scheduled updates! 😊

* * *

**DAY THREE: WEDNESDAY JULY 18th** **  
****(PRESENT DAY)**

“But the receipt is from last month?” Moose asks, confused.

“What if it’s not?” Toni shoots back, as she’s driving them back toward the Southside the next morning. 

She had gotten back to the Five Seasons at around 3am and had failed to get even a wink of sleep.

Her heart aching.

A part of her even angry. 

_Why now?_ she had kept thinking. It’s been so long –– and yet.

She gets it.

Jughead had died the summer before senior year. After that, her final year of high school was mostly a blur. The grief, the trial –– it still comes to Toni in pieces. 

She had never been the same again. 

So she understands how Sweet Pea wouldn’t have pushed then. 

And after graduation, Toni packed up her bags and headed to NYC. A scholarship with her name on it. She’d come back to Riverdale a year later, for her grandfather’s funeral.

And again, she understands how Sweet Pea wouldn’t have pushed then.

And then she left.

And before she even realized it, ten years had passed and all they had to show for it was missed calls and ignored texts.

A handful of conversations that amounted to nothing.

Toni refusing to come to Riverdale –– secretly afraid that she’d be swallowed whole by her guilt and grief.

Sweet Pea refusing to go to New York City –– secretly afraid that Toni could only ever love him where the memories of Jughead didn’t exist.

She gets it now.

Fuck.

She gets it.

Her heart aches.

“Toni? You okay?” she hears Moose ask quietly from the passenger seat.

Toni shakes her head clear of her thoughts.

“Yes.”

“Get any sleep?”

“No,” she answers sincerely.

“Want me to drive?”

“No. I got this,” she says, glancing over to him. “Trust me.”

She can feel Moose’s eyes on her, clearly searching for something.

“Okay,” he says a beat later. “Walk me through it.”

Trusting her.

Toni swallows.

The only man in her life that’s never disappointed her. 

“The receipt,” she starts, clearing her throat. She’s got a job to do. “It said 06/07 right?”

“Right.”

“What if it’s backwards? Not June 7th, but July 6th. 07/06. The day he went missing.”

“Shit,” Moose says. " _Shit_. It fits –– such a pristine car, he wouldn’t have kept a month old receipt. It would have been from the day of, but why would it be backwards?”

“That’s what we’re here to find out,” Toni says as they pull into Moore Wash & More.

“And if he came to the car wash––” Moose says looking around. The realization in his voice clear. 

Toni smirks. 

They’re on the same page now. 

Partners.

“––He wouldn’t have driven his car to Sweetwater River,” Toni finishes.

“The mud,” he says chuckling in disbelief. “It had rained the night before. Fuck –– if you’re right, this is _big,_ Toni.”

“It means we’ve been looking at this the wrong way the whole time,” Toni continues as she parks the car. “Sweetwater River is a distraction. He went somewhere else.”

“And somebody dumped his car,” Moose concludes.

If they’re right, this changes everything they thought they knew about what happened that Friday night.

“Okay, but what about DeSantos then? And his affair with the Sheriff? How does he fit into all of this?”

“One thing at a time, Moose. One thing at a time.”

* * *

“Twice in less than 24 hours. I’ve either done something really right or really wrong,” Fangs jokes from his place behind the counter. He’s wearing a white polo shirt this time. Toni spots the **MWM** logo on it and smirks. 

They’re on to something –– she can feel it. 

“Do you have security cameras here?” she asks.

“No, we don’t,” a deep voice suddenly answers.

Toni and Moose turn toward the side doors that lead directly to where the cars are washed.

It takes Toni a second to realize who the person approaching them is, until it clicks. 

It’s the owner.

“Munroe Moore, right?” she asks, remembering him from when they all attended Southside High together. He looks older, obviously. Less ripped than he was then, but still built.

Munroe nods at her in answer.

“I’m Agent Topaz, this is Agent Mason. We’re with the FBI. We’re trying to find out if Jason Blossom stopped to get his car washed here on July 6th. The Friday he went missing,” she explains to him.

“He did,” he answers, much quicker than Toni was expecting him to, if she’s honest. “He usually came here every couple of weeks,” he continues.

Toni and Moose exchange a glance, both of their minds immediately coming to the same conclusion.

_Whenever he would meet someone._

“Said we did the best detailing job in town. Tipped really well,” Munroe finishes.

“Did he ever happen to mention if he was meeting someone after?” Moose asks.

“I asked him once, who he was cleaning up for. Said he couldn’t say. I joked about him pulling a Me & Mrs. Jones,” Munroe says with a wry smile. “You know, the song,” he continues, clearly directing his unnecessary explanation to Moose.

Toni has to hold in a laugh at Moose’s brief look of offense.

“What did he say?” Toni asks, after quickly composing herself.

“Said it was more like Me & Mrs. K.”

Shit.

She and Moose exchange looks.

That definitely explains why he was keeping her a secret.

Shit.

An affair. 

Jason Blossom was having an affair with a married woman.

“How long do you think he was seeing her for?” Toni asks.

“I’d say about a few months,” Munroe answers after thinking about it for a beat. “About as long as he’d been coming here, I guess.”

_Had been seeing her for the last four months, I would say._

Cheryl Blossom’s words coming to the forefront of Toni’s mind.

It fits.

“The receipt for that day,” Moose starts to ask, eager to get confirmation. “The date was backwards and the ink already faded almost completely. Do you know why that would have happened?”

“The machines are made in Mexico,” Munroe explains. “The date input system makes you put the day in first, instead of the month.”

_Bingo._

“And the ink?” Moose asks.

“That’s on me,” Fangs sheepishly answers. The duo glance his way as he starts to explain. “I was supposed to order the ink for the printers for this month and I, uh, got distracted,” he says and Toni doesn’t miss the glance he throws Munroe’s way.

Oh.

 _Oh, damn,_ Toni can’t help but think with a proud smile.

Upgraded indeed.

“I ordered it late,” Fangs continues. “So we got the shipment like a week late. Receipts were coming out pretty much blank that entire weekend.” 

“Do you keep track of all your orders? Purchase receipts that would corroborate that?” Moose asks turning back to Munroe.

“We do,” Munroe answers with a nod. “I can probably get them to you by the end of the day.”

“Thank you,” Toni says nodding at him.

Munroe nods back.

“Did you tell the police about this?” Moose suddenly asks.

“They never asked.”

Moose glances Toni’s way and gives her a look, Munroe’s statement confirming her earlier one about just how far this investigation looked.

About as far as the train tracks go –– as far as the divide.

Northside vs Southside.

‘Til the bitter end.

“Thank you for telling us,” Moose says sincerely.

“I didn’t,” Munroe answers. “I told _her_.”

Toni’s slightly surprised at Munroe’s clarification, seeing as she had been unsure if he had recognized her the way she did him.

It’s clear from the look on his face now that he does.

She gives him a nod.

She gets it.

Northside vs Southside.

‘Til the bitter end.

**REWIND**

_“I’m just sayin’, don’t you want the Serpents to be as strong as they can be? So we can take on the Ghoulies and-and –– your serial killer!” Sweet Pea argues, the end of his statement being directed toward Jughead._

_“Not my serial killer,” Jughead drily responds without looking up from the newspaper in front of him._

_They’re at the Jones trailer, sitting at the kitchen table, newspapers from every day this week strewn across it. Jughead’s got his eyes glued to the most recent edition._

_“You know what I mean.” Sweet Pea sighs, as he stands up straight and looks down at them in their seats. “Well? Don’t you want that?”_

_“Of course I do,” Toni answers with a sigh from where she’s sitting at the table to Jughead’s right. “But it’s not that simple.”_

_“What’s not that simple about it? We get Mad Dog, we get stronger. Easy as pie. The dude’s a tank, nobody’s gonna want to mess with him.”_

_“You sound impressed,” Toni teases._

_“Of course I’m impressed, I share a locker room with him during P.E. twice a week. The dude’s built. No clue why Fangs is wasting his time on Joaquin’s pussy ass, when he could be getting some of that. I’d be on my knees if I swung that way. Hell, I’ll get on my knees right now if it’ll make him join,” Sweet Pea states, his drama queen theatrics out in full force._

_“I didn’t know Mad Dog is gay,” Jughead unhelpfully says, still without looking up._

_Toni can’t help but laugh, which causes Sweet Pea to sigh and pout._

_“He doesn’t want to join,” Toni says, turning her attention back toward Sweet Pea. “And as tempting as he might find your offer, you can’t force him if he doesn’t want to. He didn’t grow up in Sunnyside, he doesn’t owe us any loyalty.”_

_“The hell he does,” Sweet Pea mutters. “He might not have grown up here, but he lives in Clearview. Everyone knows those apartments are Serpent territory now. We’re the ones keeping that place clean, keeping his family safe. He could show some fuckin’ gratitude.”_

_“His grandfather just died, Sweets. He’s probably going to drop out any day now to take over the family business so that they don't go under. You can’t expect him to add gang duties to that,” Toni patiently explains._

_“And unless he steps up, I heard some rum tycoon is looking to buy up some real estate around here,” Jughead pipes up. “Gentrification, baby.”_

_“How would you know–– you know what? Forget it,” Sweet Pea defeatedly sighs._

_“Hey,” Toni says softly, looking up at him. The two lock eyes and Toni sees the smile threatening his lips despite his frustrations. “I appreciate the effort, we all do. But...you can’t force loyalty. So, let him know it’s an open invitation and move on.”_

_“You’re right,” Sweet Pea concedes with an exaggerated sigh after a beat._

_“I almost always am,” she teases._

_Sweet Pea shakes his head just as his phone beeps. He pulls it out and glances at the text._

_“Fogarty says they’re at the quarry. You in?”_

_“I, uh, think I’m going to stick around here for a bit, help Jones go through these,” Toni hesitantly answers._

_She watches Sweet Pea’s eyes fill with jealousy as he glances over at Jughead. Even from the corner of her eye, Toni can see the smug smile on Jughead's face._

_She sighs internally._

_She knows that she should say something –– do something._

_But what?_

_She knows if she tells Jughead that it’s never going to happen –– it’ll break him. He’s her best friend and she doesn’t want to lose him. But then… she knows it’s not fair to Sweet Pea either. They’ve been hooking up since freshman year and while they might not have ever put a label on things…_

_She’s his._

_She always has been._

_And she knows that for all that he puts up a front and talks big game about girls._

_He’s hers._

_It’s just how it’s always been –– since their first time._

_But she knows._

_Somethings gotta give._

_Sooner or later, what they have won’t be enough for him. She just hopes Sweet Pea is strong enough to wait. Hopes she’s strong enough to finally do what needs to be done._

_Soon._

_Hopefully._

_“Right,” Sweet Pea answers, clenching his jaw._

_Before Toni can say or do anything, he’s leaning down to kiss her goodbye._

_It’s a quick peck, nothing scandalous, but –– he’s never done that before._

_Not in front of Jughead, at least._

_“Bye,” he whispers softly._

_“Bye,” she answers as she watches the soft look in his eyes turn smug as he walks away._

_Toni turns back toward Jughead, the boy pretending to be completely focused on the newspaper in front of him._

_But Toni can see it –– the jealousy._

_It builds._

_“So, what do we have?” she asks, after clearing her throat._

_“Right, so,” Jughead begins to explain, breaking the tense atmosphere. “He’s sent letters to the Register every day now for the past week. He keeps using the following phrase, ‘I will purge the town of its sins so that I may ascend.’”_

_“It’s very distinctive.”_

_“It is. So I’ve been looking around online to see which religions, denominations, sects or even cults have a similar belief system. Their doctrines.”_

_“Any luck?” Toni asks._

_“Not unless you count the spam that I’m now getting from what looks to be a cult based in Vermont called The Farm,” he jokes._

_“Christ, Jughead. Be careful, those types of groups hunt people down.”_

_“It’s fine, Toni. Anyway, other than that, I’ve got nothing,” Jughead answers, sighing in frustration. He takes off his beanie then as he stands and begins to pace around the small kitchen space._

_“He also keeps going on and on about community. ‘To cleanse our community.’ ‘To enrich our community.’ ‘To help our community prosper and reach its apex.’ Something about it feels specific, familiar, but I can put my finger on it. Like, he’s giving a sermon on why ridding Riverdale of its Southside trash is the ideal,” Jughead scoffs in disgust._

_And suddenly –– it clicks for Toni._

_“Oh my god,” she says._

_“What?”_

_“The ‘Letters From the Editor.’”_

_“What?”_

_“The Letters! Remember? You were talking about them the other day. How they all say the same thing every week,” Toni rushes out._

_“Yeah, they’re critiques on the Southside that have been published ad nauseam….” Jughead says, his voice trailing off as it hits him._

_His eyes widen as he quickly dives for the newspapers strewn across the table, picking up the one from last Sunday and the Sunday before._

_“Here,” he says, handing one to Toni._

_“Our community is only as strong as our weakest member. Only as successful as our least successful. Our community only prospers when we all prosper,” Toni reads aloud from the copy in her hands._

_“It will require time and effort, but together our community will reach its apex. If we do what must be done,” Jughead reads aloud from his._

_The two lock eyes, realization and horror all in one look._

_Jughead rushes for the living room and picks up two more older newspapers that F.P. had left on the coffee table. He always keeps the Sunday edition so that Jughead can solve the crosswords._

_“Enriching our community is about making tough calls. About sacrifice,” Jughead reads from one, before turning to the other. “We have all sinned, but our community can heal from this. If we do what must be done,” Jughead finishes. “It’s the same narrative across all of them,” he says, the horror in his voice clear. “Just like the Dark Angel.”_

_A beat passes._

_“Holy shit,” he says, turning back to Toni._

_She’s standing now, right in between the living room space and the kitchen, just as horrified as he is._

_Could this be? Are they right? Does this mean––_

_“Explains why they keep getting letters from the serial killer in such a timely manner,” Jughead says as he collapses on his couch in shock._

_The two of them remain in stunned silence then and Toni watches as Jughead reaches inside his flannel’s pocket and pulls out his small tape recorder. He clicks the record button as he brings it up to his face._

_“Log 0715-4. Potential Identity of Riverdale’s serial killer discovered. The Dark Angel is...Hal Cooper,” he records, his voice emotionless._

_“Jughead,” Toni asks as he turns to look at her. “What do we do now?”_

**STOP**

* * *

“Looks like you were right,” Moose says, laughing in disbelief at this turn of events. “Jason Blossom would _never_ have driven down to Sweetwater River to meet his date. Not after bringing his car here and having it washed. He would have known that it rained the night before, that it would be muddy, he just wouldn’t have. A man that committed to being presentable? No way,” he concludes.

“Shit,” Toni says, still in shock over it all.

It’s just hitting her now what a massive discovery this is.

“So where does that leave us?” Moose asks as Toni starts the car and starts pulling out of the parking lot. “Where was Jason really headed? Did he even reach his destination? Did he manage to meet up with his _married_ lover? Was it a setup from her? Or was he somehow attacked beforehand while he was on his way there?” he rambles.

“That’s what we have to figure out now,” Toni says, shaking her head. 

It’s a whole different ball game now.

“And what about DeSantos? Why was he tailing him? And if he was, why did he stop right after Jason left Pop’s? He stuck around for at least another hour. Why would he do that?” Moose wonders aloud.

Suddenly though –– it clicks for Toni.

“Oh my god,” she says.

“What?”

“What if he never left?”

“What?”

" _For the love of God, Montresor,"_ Toni softly quotes back to him.

And the look in Mooses' eyes lets her know. 

He gets her loud and clear.

* * *

“Pop. I need you to think back as clearly as you can, okay?” Toni says slowly.

“Alright,” the older man answers.

Toni can tell that he sees how serious this is –– how his answer is make or break for this case.

“Did you actually _see_ Jason walk out the door?”

She watches as Pop takes a moment. His eyes on the ground as he thinks back, as he pictures that night in his head as best he can.

“I….I mean, I heard the bells on the door jingle…” he says distractedly, as he continues to piece back together that night in his mind. “But I didn’t–– _oh my Lord._ I didn’t,” he says looking up now in alarm. “I turned around and heard the door but I didn’t see him, but-but his car was gone the next time I came out of the kitchen. It must have been a few minutes at most. I’m sure of that!” he says, the distress clear on his face.

“It’s okay, Pop,” Toni softly says, trying to calm him down. “I’m going to need you to show me the old entrance to the basement.”

Pop nods and immediately guides her and Moose to the old phone booth.

“It’s right through there, but it’s bricked shut. Has been for decades,” he says.

Toni watches as Moose walks into the booth and looks around. Does his best to see if it opens up in any way, but it doesn’t.

“It’s sealed,” Moose confirms.

“Pop,” Toni says to the man now and she can see the worried look on his face. “I’m going to need you to clear out the diner for the rest of the day. We’ve got a door to find.”

* * *

It takes them a couple of hours.

But find it they do.

Hidden outside, behind the diner, under the large waste bin in the back that she and Moose manage to roll out of the way.

A set of wooden cellar doors that blend into the ground –– if not for the shiny new lock they have keeping them shut.

“Call the Sheriff,” Toni tells Moose who immediately steps away to make the call.

“I didn’t know,” Toni hears Pop say. She turns to face him and sees the heartbroken look on his face. “I forgot those doors even existed. It’s all been bricked shut since my father took over the place.”

“I know,” Toni softly reassures him. “Don’t worry, Pop.”

She sees his grateful smile, before he begins to walk toward the front of the diner.

Despite her words though, she can see how hurt he is by this. That someone would take advantage of his home –– because that’s what Pop’s is to him, _hell_ to everyone in this town. 

Pop’s is the heart of Riverdale.

And someone defiled it.

It angers Toni like nothing else.

Fuck whoever did this to Pop.

Fuck whoever did this to Jason Blossom.

Fuck whoever did this to Riverdale.

Toni will make sure they pay.

* * *

When the Sheriff’s department cuts the lock and lifts the cellar doors, they find a second set of rusted steel doors under it with their own lock as well. Upon cutting that one, and pulling the doors open, a _hiss_ is heard.

The room no longer sealed. 

And then they smell it. 

That unmistakable smell.

Toni immediately hears one of the deputies begin to retch.

She herself has to swallow back the bile she feels rising in her throat.

“Fuck, that’s foul,” Moose mutters as he covers his nose and mouth with his hand.

“Damn,” she hears Kevin mutter from behind her. The disappointment clear in his voice.

Toni turns toward him and sees him trying to hold back tears. She’s struck with the thought that maybe he really _did_ hope they would find Jason alive. 

That his friend would have survived.

A selfish part of her can’t help but think though, _Now you know what it feels like._

_Now you know what it feels like to have a friend die on your watch._

She shakes herself free of those thoughts, before turning back toward the entrance with a flashlight. The light illuminates what’s left of the bricks that used to keep the entrance blocked. Someone clearly took a sledgehammer to them in order to open it up again. Toni also spots the steps that lead down into the basement.

“Gloves and foot covers,” Toni instructs then. “We can’t risk contaminating anything. The room has been sealed this whole time which means all of our evidence is still preserved.” She glances behind her and sees the entire department moving to follow her orders.

“That goes double for anyone that feels like they might puke. They stay outside,” she finishes, before looking over to Moose.

“You’re looking a little green yourself,” she tells him quietly.

“I’ll be fine,” he reassures her.

“Don’t you dare throw up,” she warns him.

He gives her a pained smile, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

* * *

Jason Blossom is dead.

If there was ever any doubt –– or any hope –– left, it’s gone now.

From what Toni can surmise from just looking at his decaying corpse, the man was tied to the chair he still sits in now, beaten, possibly stabbed, and then left for dead.

The puddle below the body speaking to him bleeding out.

The bag of food he ordered is by his feet, soaked with his blood.

It’s not a pretty sight.

“Over here,” she hears Moose call out to her.

“You find it?” Toni asks as she walks toward him, sidestepping the CSIs working the scene.

Moose stands atop a ramp that seemingly leads upstairs into the diner. From his position, he pulls a lever that unlocks some sort of mechanism. Once unlocked, he’s able to slide a part of the wall to the side.

“It’s the men’s bathroom,” Moose notes as he steps inside.

“That explains how he got him in here so quickly,” Toni murmurs.

“DeSantos, then?” Moose quietly asks her to confirm.

“Mhm. Looks like it. He follows Blossom here, walks in after him, waits for him to get his order, and then he knocks him out somehow...Maybe a taser? Something. Then he drags him into the bathroom before Pop comes back out, and throws him down the ramp,” she concludes, still keeping her voice low.

“What’s the motive, though?” Moose asks. 

“No fucking clue,” Toni confesses. “He told me he didn’t do it.”

“You believed him,” Moose comments.

It’s not a question, nor an accusation –– just a fact.

“I did,” Toni admits with a sigh. “I’m a fucking idiot,” she finishes pinching the bridge of her nose.

Joaquin was always an asshole, but she never thought… She wonders if maybe she was too caught up with being back in the Southside and seeing Sweet Pea again to truly realize he was lying to her. It didn’t feel like he was, but maybe...

“Maybe not,” Moose says as he looks around. “The wall needs to be opened up from inside the basement. He walked in literally minutes after Jason did. Which means, he didn’t have time to come unlock everything.”

“He had time if he came by earlier in the day,” Toni points out.

“True, but what about the car? Pop said the car was gone minutes later. Joaquin was back in his booth, which means someone else had to have moved it. Could Pop have been wrong about that?” he wonders.

It takes Toni less than a second to answer.

“No,” Toni replies resolutely. “He let instinct guide his answer the first time, he hears the bells –– someone walks in, someone walks out. There’s no way he wouldn’t have noticed the car still in the parking lot,” Toni adamantly says. “I believe Pop.”

She and Moose lock eyes for a beat, before he nods.

Trusting her and her unwavering faith in Pop Tate. 

If she believes in him, so does he.

“Alright,” he says. “So Joaquin opens the door, throws the keys to someone?” 

“Has to be,” Toni answers nodding. “Whether he was a direct participant of what took place down here or not, Joaquin played a very important role beforehand. He follows Jason, gets him where they need him to be, sets the rest of the night in motion––”

“––And then sits pretty with his established alibi,” Moose finishes her thought, nodding in agreement.

Toni knows that this next part won’t be easy. 

She’ll have to interrogate a Serpent brother for information on a murder she’s sure he was a part of –– one way or another. Joaquin might have been an asshole, but it doesn’t make any of this sit any easier with Toni.

She came here to do her job –– to get justice. 

It makes her stomach turn to think it might be at the cost of her Serpent family.

* * *

“Sheriff,” Moose begins to say as they walk over to Kevin. He’s standing by the entrance to the basement, supervising all the evidence that’s being brought out. “We’re going to need to put out a BOLO on Joaquin DeSantos.”

Toni watches as Kevin takes a step back in shock, clearly taken aback by their request.

She and Moose exchange looks. His reaction, much like Joaquin’s the previous night, confirming the affair. 

“What?” he asks then. “Joaquin DeSantos?”

“We have reason to believe he played a role in this,” Toni confirms.

Kevin still seems surprised, but he begins to nod nonetheless.

“Uh, yeah. Ok.”

“Kevin,” Toni says, taking a step closer to him. She speaks quietly, giving him the courtesy of not airing out his dirty laundry in front of the whole department. “I know that you and him...” she lets her voice trail off. His widening eyes making it clear that _he_ knows that _she_ knows.

“Like I said before,” Kevin says after swallowing. “I don’t let my personal relationships impede me from doing my job,” he shakily answers.

“Okay,” Toni answers with a nod. “We’re going to head to Sunnyside, see if we can find him, but let your officers know––”

“Clearview,” Kevin interrupts her. “He, uh, got an apartment there last year. For...privacy,” he turns his gaze toward the ground then, the shame clear in his demeanor.

Toni nods at him in understanding.

 _At least they were discreet,_ Toni thinks. She knows how this will more than likely destroy Kevin’s career, but maybe there’s a chance it will be without having to be subjected to the court of public opinion as well.

He’s fucked no matter what truth be told, but small mercies at least.

At the end of the day, while she might not like Kevin, she knows that there’s probably no easy way to learn that your side piece most likely used you –– how things Kevin told him in confidence might have actually helped him carry out his part of this horrific crime. 

He really is fucked.

Toni nods at him again, before starting to walk back toward the car with Moose.

“We’ll start at Clearview then. Get Joaquin talking, hopefully figure out who his accomplice is,” Toni states.

“And figure out his motive too,” Moose adds, which makes Toni sigh.

This really is a whole new ball game.

* * *

Toni’s not sure what she expected to find upon kicking down the door to Joaquin’s apartment.

After calling out and receiving no answer, a million possible scenarios ran through her mind of what he could possibly be doing in this very moment behind those doors.

Fucking some other dude he shouldn’t be.  
Prepping whatever he's dropping off to be sold later today.  
Eating a sandwich and watching TV.

She and Moose round the corner toward his bedroom, identifying themselves loudly.

Sitting in bed with a smirk on his face –– waiting for them.  
Standing behind the door with a gun drawn –– waiting for them.  
Maybe he’s not even here –– on his way to who knows where laughing at them.

Every single one of those possibilities crosses Toni’s mind as they walk in.

She’s wrong on every single count.

Lying in his bathtub –– eyes open, blood spilled, a letter on the bathroom counter.

Dead.

“Fuck,” Moose shakily says. “He killed himself. _Fuck."_

Toni’s not able to swallow back the bile rising up her throat this time.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next update should be up by wednesday! in the mean time, feel free to come say hi over on my [tumblr](https://distractioncake.tumblr.com/) ✨


	7. “It just doesn’t make any sense”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PREVIEW:
> 
> "It’s been a few hours now since they discovered Joaquin’s body."
> 
> SUMMARY:
> 
> DAY THREE/DAY FOUR

* * *

“Toni.”

**REWI—**

_“What do you mean there’s a delay? He’s bleeding out for fuck’s sake! We need them here now!”_ ****

“Toni.” ****

 _“Fuck, they’re coming, Jones! Just hold on! Keep the pressure on, Toni!”_ ****

_“I am! I am!”_ ****

“Toni.” ****

 _“Miss, we need you to move.”_ ****

_“No, I have to keep the pressure on.”_ ****

_“Miss, he’s gone.”_ ****

_“No, no, I have to, I have to––_ ****

_“Toni.”_

**—OP**

“What?” she says, shaking her head. “Sorry, I uh, I zoned out.” ****

Moose gives her an understanding smile. ****

Toni gives him a pained one in return. ****

They’re back in the conference room that they’ve been using as a base of operations at the Sheriff’s Department. They’re sitting at the table, their case file open in front of them. ****

It’s been a few hours now since they discovered Joaquin’s body. ****

Toni still feels all out of sorts because of it and she hates it. ****

Hates that they were taken by surprise.  
Hates that Joaquin is gone.  
Hates that the sight of him lying there only brought back memories of Jughead’s lifeless body. ****

The dark hair, the glassy eyes, all that blood. ****

The scenarios were different and it’s not even like they look that fucking similar in the first place, but _f_ _ _u_ ck _ if Toni didn’t just toss her cookies over the mere minimum resemblance. ****

Over the loss of yet another friend under her watch –– possible killer or not. ****

Fuck. ****

She takes a deep breath, before turning toward Moose. ****

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” she says. ****

She watches as Moose mulls it over. As he takes his time in responding, as he glances over his notes. ****

It’s probably not more than 30 seconds before he responds, but to Toni it feels like years. ****

“Walk me through it,” he says. ****

Trusting her. ****

Toni exhales in relief. ****

The only man in her life that’s never disappointed her. ****

“Okay,” Toni says nodding to herself before she stands from her seat. She walks over to their murder board and begins to try to make some sort of sense out of her jumbled thoughts. “Joaquin wrote in his suicide note that Jason Blossom loaned him money for a business venture –– an investment. That he knew Jason was coming to collect and that he didn’t have enough to pay him back. That he killed Jason over the money and that the guilt over his actions pushed him to take his own life. There’s just so many inconsistencies with that I don’t even know where to begin,” she scoffs. ****

“Start at the top,” Moose suggests. ****

“Alright,” she answers, nodding determinedly. “Jason Blossom would _never_ have loaned money to a Serpent –– and much less as an investment. Not when their maple syrup business is legit _and_ profitable.” ****

“And there’s no evidence that the two of them even knew each other, let alone that they had enough of a relationship that Jason would personally loan Joaquin a large sum of money,” Moose says nodding along with her. ****

“Right!” Toni confirms. “Plus, none of the Blossom accounts show any type of withdrawal or transfer that could be a personal loan. Nothing on Joaquin’s bank account either. And even more jarring? The letter doesn’t even say _how_ much money it was he supposedly now owed Jason. It just––” ****

“––Doesn’t make any sense,” Moose says, agreeing with her. ****

“It just feels like someone cobbled up that note together at the last second,” Toni murmurs. ****

“Maybe they did. We _are_ still looking for an accomplice,” Moose comments. “Maybe that someone wanted to keep the real motive a secret?” ****

A beat passes. ****

“Do you think the suicide note is fake? Or the suicide itself?” Toni asks, contemplating the possibility that this goes even deeper than they think. ****

“I think…” Moose hesitantly begins to say, “that until we know any different from the coroner, it _is_ a suicide. Just one with a very... _strange_ note,” he finishes. ****

Toni nods at his assessment. ****

Until they know any different this has to be the way they play this. ****

They can’t afford to fall into conspiracy theories that would only hurt their credibility. Not when this whole thing is already so precarious. ****

They have to work with what they have. ****

“The note mentions Joaquin feeling guilty over killing Jason,” Toni says after a beat. “That’s just bullshit. He was a Serpent for fuck’s sake. You can’t be one if you’re going to be all tell-tale heart about it,” Toni explains, completely frustrated with how little water that reasoning holds. ****

“Unless our presence in town spooked him?” Moose considers. ****

“No, he was his usual asshole self last night. He was almost gloating at the fact that he had the upper hand –– that he had been expecting the FBI to show up.” ****

 _Me,_ Toni thinks. He was expecting _me._

“He wasn’t spooked over us,” Toni quietly refutes.She turns back to the table then and looks at the recently printed out pictures of the basement at Pop’s. ****

“If Joaquin killed himself, it wasn’t over guilt about murdering Jason,” she concludes. “Maybe guilt over something else.” ****

A beat passes. ****

“That note was planted,” she murmurs as she looks over the pictures of Jason’s rotting corpse in that chair. “And if it’s true that he _did_ want to kill Jason Blossom,” she continues, “I just...don’t believe he would have gone through all the trouble of kidnapping and torturing him –– no matter the reason. That’s just...too personal. He would have shot him and dumped the body in Sweetwater River.” ****

A beat passes then, before Toni reiterates the only thought that concisely summarizes this entire situation. ****

“It just doesn’t make any sense.” ****

She rubs at her face then, suddenly feeling exhausted beyond belief.

 **REWIND** ****

_“He bowls!” Jughead suddenly shouts._ ****

_It’s 3 in the morning and they’re still at the Jones trailer –– still sitting on the living room floor, trying to gather evidence in order to build their case against Hal Cooper._ ****

_“What?” Toni asks with a yawn. She’s tired as fuck, but she knows she can’t go to sleep until they figure this out._ ****

_It’s too important._ ****

_“Hal Cooper belongs to a competitive bowling team,” Jughead says, showing her an article on the team, the RiverDads, in the paper._ ****

_“Meaning?” Toni asks, starting to wonder if maybe she missed a connection between the time-honored Northside family activity and serial killer tendencies._ ****

_“Meaning,” Jughead begins to explain as he grabs a hold of two other newspapers. “He wasn’t in town for four of the 8 murders.” He hands them over to Toni, before continuing, “He was in New Jersey for the second set of murders at a competition his team won 3rd place.”_ ****

_“Out of three teams,” Toni snorts as she looks over the article. “They sucked.”_ ****

_“And for the 5th and 6th murder,” Jughead forges on, ignoring Toni’s comment, “Centerville was having the grand reopening of their remodeled bowling alley that night. He went to it and even covered it for the Register.”_ ****

_“Shit,” Toni says, taking it more seriously now. “So what does that mean? Where does that leave us?”_ ****

_Jughead takes off his beanie and cards his fingers through his hair. He exhales, before answering._ ****

_“Well, who else shares his same values and ideals? Espouses the same kind of anti-Southside rhetoric he does and has the same kind of access to the Riverdale Register?” he asks in frustration._ ****

_It takes a moment before it comes to Toni._ ****

_“His wife,” she says._ ****

_Jughead widens his eyes, “Female serial killers are rare.”_ ****

_“On record? Yeah. But some people believe that there are more out there than we think,” Toni argues._ ****

_Jughead nods at her before reaching for his small tape recorder._

****_“Log 0716-3. Newly discovered alibis suggest that Hal Cooper is in fact_ not _the Dark Angel. However, circumstantial evidence points to someone not that far from our original would-be-perpetrator. There is reason to believe that instead his wife, Alice Cooper, is the real killer.”_

**STOP**

“How about we call it a day?” Moose quietly asks as he approaches her. “You haven’t had a full night’s sleep the entire time we’ve been here. Even before then. We won’t know anything from the bodies until tomorrow at the very least. Let's rest and we can regroup in the morning.”

“People think this is over,” she says. “It’s not, Moose. I know it’s not.”

“Something wicked this way comes,” he answers with a sigh.

Toni’s afraid he might just be right.

* * *

Moose eventually does convince her to go back to their hotel to get some sleep. As the two of them walk out of the Sheriff’s Station though, Toni spots a lone figure in the parking lot.

Sweet Pea.

Resting against his motorcycle.

He stands up straight as soon as he spots them exiting the station.

He’s been waiting.

For her.

Even with things having ended the way they did last night, with Toni basically running away.

He’s here.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Moose says with an understanding smile.

Toni just smiles softly, forever grateful for having such an understanding partner.

The only man in her life that’s never disappointed her. 

A beat passes, as she watches Moose walk to their car, before she starts moving. She walks over to Sweet Pea who says nothing –– just reaches for a second helmet and hands it to her.

They quietly mount the bike and Toni just holds on as he drives them to Sunnyside.

She just...holds on.

* * *

“You want to take a shower?” he quietly asks, breaking their silence as he locks the trailer door behind them.

“Where’s F.P.?” she can’t help but wonder as she looks around the place. 

“Hog Eye said he’d keep an eye on him tonight.”

Toni takes in the answer with a nod.

“Okay.”

She heads to the bathroom unprompted then and begins to undress. She steps into the familiar shower and a few moments later she hears the bathroom door open and close again. She waits for a moment and when nothing happens, she peeks through the shower curtain.

Pajamas have been placed on the bathroom counter.

* * *

When she walks out of the bathroom, she heads for the kitchen, the smell of food calling out to her.

She sits at the counter quietly as Sweet Pea finishes making her a grilled cheese. 

Her go-to comfort food.

She suddenly feels a lump in her throat at his kindness. At the fact that, despite everything, he’s taking care of her. Makes her feel like an even bigger asshole for what feels like having never done right by him.

He deserves better.

Toni tries desperately to keep it together, but can’t once he sets the plate of food down in front of her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“You didn’t do anything,” Sweet Pea answers as he turns back over to rinse the pan in the sink. “Joaquin dug his own grave. Sooner or later his shit was going to catch up with him –– everyone knew that,” he continues, his voice gruff. “This isn’t on you.”

“No,” Toni says, shaking her head, which causes Sweet Pea to turn back toward her. “I–– you were right.”

A beat passes.

“I...do keep prioritizing the love Jughead had for me over yours.”

She watches as Sweet Pea takes in a sharp breath, completely taken aback by where the conversation is going.

“And you were right. I could only care about you when I wasn’t here,” Toni admits, her eyes on the sandwich. “Because being here? Being in Riverdale? I feel like it takes every single part of me to just stay afloat. To not drown in all this guilt and regret,” she chokes out.

She shakes her head at herself before continuing.

“I regret so many things. But the thing I regret the most is that I wasted my time.”

She hears Sweet Pea shuffle in place, as if bracing himself for what he thinks will be the knife to his heart.

_“I knew you regretted ever having wasted your time with me, when you could have had him.”_

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

He couldn’t _be_ more wrong.

Toni looks up and locks eyes with him.

“I think I’ve been in love with you since the day you stole your brother’s spray paint and painted over my hopscotch lines,” she says with a watery chuckle –– just as the tears she’s been holding in all afternoon spill down her cheeks. 

A beat passes.

“I wasted so much of our time,” she says. 

And it’s then that Toni lets herself finally, fully, cry.

Like a fucking dam has burst. 

She sobs.

Because life is short and unfair and fucking painful.

Because Joaquin is dead.

Because Jughead is dead.

Because she and Sweet Pea–– _and yet?_

Where are they now?

Drowning in their own misery and guilt.

And it’s her own damn fault.

It’s all her fault.

“I’m so sorry, Sweet Pea,” she cries. “I’m so, so sorry.”

She cries and cries and cries.

Lets her tears wash it all away.

* * *

**DAY FOUR: THURSDAY JULY 19th** **  
****(PRESENT DAY)**

She wakes up in Sweet Pea’s arms the next morning.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

She takes a deep breath.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It feels like a second chance.

* * *

She’s finishing up her makeup in the trailer’s bathroom the next morning when memories of having done exactly this a million times before flash through her mind. 

For the first time since she’s stepped foot in Riverdale, however, the memories they….don’t overwhelm her. 

They don’t make her feel guilty or like she can’t breathe or like she’s spiraling. 

For the first time, she feels like she can...reminisce. 

It feels like progress.

She can hear the quiet chatter from the kitchen as Moose and Sweet Pea engage in what is no doubt some very bland small talk.

It makes her smile, this collision of her past and present.

She takes a step back after she’s done and gives herself a final once-over –– thankful once more that she has a partner that, (a) knows to bring her clothes so that she avoids looking unprofessional by returning to the hotel in her clothes from the day before and (b) knows how to actually pick out a decent outfit.  
  
She steps out of the bathroom and walks over to the kitchen.

Both men turn toward her and smile.

“Ready to go?” Moose asks.

Toni nods at him and watches as he turns toward Sweet Pea to shake his hand.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Moose says. 

“Likewise.” 

Moose nods at Toni as he heads to walk out of the trailer first, giving the two of them a moment of privacy.  
  
“You look nice,” Sweet Pea softly compliments after a beat.

“Thank you,” Toni answers. She takes a deep breath then, before speaking. “Sweet Pea, uh, about last night––” she stops then, unsure of how to best express her gratitude. 

_Thank you for letting me cry my heart out over how I let the death of our best friend deeply traumatized me for years to the point that I didn’t feel like I deserved to find happiness because I felt like I had stolen his and how now a decade later the death of another friend has made me realize how short life truly is and how you’ve patiently waited for me and cared for me despite how I didn’t deserve it._

It’s...a lot.

“Toni,” Sweet Pea softly says, cutting through her thoughts. “It’s okay.”

_It’s okay._

Toni’s not sure those words have ever sounded so fucking fulfilling.

 _It’s okay.  
_ _It’s okay.  
_ _It’s okay._

She lets them run around her mind.

Lets herself believe that maybe, just maybe, they might be right.

She leans forward then, on her tiptoes, and Sweet Pea wastes no time in meeting her halfway.

It’s a soft kiss.

Tender and caring.

A promise.

“I’ll call you later,” Toni quietly says as they part.

He nods at her and, for maybe the first time in years, she sees a glimmer of genuine happiness in his eyes.

* * *

“If you’re going to joke or tease,” Toni says as she meets Moose outside of the trailer and they begin walking to their car.

Moose laughs, before speaking.

“Well, he’s taller than I was expecting.”

“I told you he was tall.”

“Yeah but like, _everyone’s_ tall to you.”

“Shut up,” Toni says as she shoves him lightly.

Moose just laughs.

As Toni rounds the car to get to the passenger side, she feels lighter than she has in probably years.

Things aren’t suddenly all better now, obviously –– Joaquin is _still_ dead, there’s a murder or maybe two that she _still_ needs to solve, and her relationship with Sweet Pea _still_ needs a lot more work than just one apology and a night of tears.

And also she definitely needs to schedule some therapy when she gets back to the city.

However, for the first time, none of those things feel as...insurmountable as they did just a day before.

Funny what a good night’s sleep, a good cry, and finally not fucking punishing herself emotionally can do for a gal.

Funny what being reminded of just how truly short life is can do.

As they get in the car, Toni realizes that there’s one big component to all of this that she has yet to acknowledge. 

Or rather _thank._

“Moose,” she says as he starts the car.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

Moose turns to look at her then.

“Being back here in Riverdale has been...a lot,” she chuckles humorlessly. “And I don’t think I would still be standing here if it wasn’t for you. You’re...my better half,” she says smiling fondly. “My best friend, which is probably highly unprofessional,” she jokes, which causes him to laugh. “Thank you for always believing in me. For pushing when I needed the push, for giving me space when I needed the space. For trusting me. For just,” Toni ends with a shrug, “being you.”

Moose looks down at his feet then, a thoughtful look on his face. 

“You know, that night back at the Academy,” he starts to say, “when I asked you about your deepest darkest secret. I never told you this, but I uh–” he cuts himself off then swallowing back his emotions.

“You what?” Toni softly prompts.

“I was having thoughts, you know? The kind of thoughts that….mean you don’t make it to the next day.”

“Moose,” Toni exhales in surprise. She definitely didn't know that.

Had never even suspected.

“I covered it up well, but I just...Those first few weeks were _hard_ , you remember. And I was just doubting myself –– if I was good enough to be there, if I even deserved to be there. And then those thoughts turned into if I’m good enough at all. If I even deserve to be... _alive_ at all.”

A beat passes.

“Guess having sadistic nuns tell you over and over again that you’re worthless deviant scum that needs to repent or you’ll go to hell is the kind of thing that stays with you, whether you want it to or not,” he chuckles humorlessly.

Toni feels tears form at the corners of her eyes as she reaches forward to gently take a hold of Moose’s hand.

“Telling you about what I had been through and then hearing you say that _they_ were wrong. That I was... _right_ just the way I am,” he continues to explain, “it, uh, meant more to me than you could have ever possibly known,” he pauses. “Until now I guess,” he chuckles as tears spill down his cheeks. He looks up at her then, “You saved my life without ever even knowing it, Toni Topaz,” he says smiling at her then.

A beat passes, before he continues.

“I know what this town did to you –– what it stole from you all these years. So whatever happens, I got your back. Always.”

He turns his hand to interlock their fingers, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

“You’re the only man in my life that’s never disappointed me,” she says with a teary laugh. 

Moose laughs lightly as well, before he pulls his hand back to wipe at his tears.

“I got you,” she says.

“And I got you.”

“And now we just need to get the son of a bitch who did all this,” she says with a sigh.

Moose nods at her, a determined look now on his face.

They have a job to do.

* * *

“We’re, uh, still waiting on the coroner’s report,” Sheriff Grande says as he joins them in the conference room.

They arrived only a few minutes ago, driving directly there from the Southside. Everything they thought they knew about the case has been turned on its head now and Toni knows they need to figure out a game plan and fast.

“Fair enough,” Moose answers looking to Toni who nods in agreement.

“I do have to say that, despite the inconsistencies, it does appear likely that this case will soon be deemed officially solved,” Kevin says, which surprises Toni.

“Despite the inconsistencies?” Toni can’t help but question. “We can’t even place Joaquin and Jason in the same room together at any point prior to them being at Pop’s that night. There’s no record of them even knowing each other.”

A beat passes.

“Unless you know something?” Toni quietly asks.

She watches as Kevin looks toward the ceiling, trying to compose himself before answering.

“No,” he answers after another beat, as he lowers his gaze back toward them. “I don’t have any additional information. What I do have is Jason Blossom’s body. What I do have is Joaquin DeSantos being the last person to see him alive and his confession to the crime in his suicide note. I just… I don’t know what else there is to do,” he admits with a shrug. 

" _What else there is to do?_ We have to figure out what really happened here, Kevin,” Toni urges. “You know something is fishy. There’s too much that doesn’t make any sense.”

“Look, I––” Kevin says, before pausing to compose himself. “If you don’t have anything concrete by tomorrow, the case will be closed. Solved,” he says mustering an authoritative voice. “This town has been through too much tragedy already. It needs closure.”

“ _Kevin_ , it doesn’t make any sense,” Toni emphatically reiterates. “It’s possible Joaquin––”

“He confessed, Agent Topaz,” Kevin forcefully interjects. “And I would appreciate it if you not try to make this into something it’s not. This is not some crusade –– these are the cold, hard, facts.”

“Right,” Toni says shaking her head in disbelief and disgust, “because we all know how much this town cares about confessions.”

**REWIND**

_“What does that even mean?” Sweet Pea asks in total disbelief from his place standing by the Jones’s kitchen table._

_“It means that the Riverdale Sheriff’s Department believes that it was a false confession,” F.P. drawls as he drops to his couch, taking a long swig of his beer._

_They’ve been waiting all afternoon for him to come back from speaking with the DA’s office and this is what he got?_

_Toni thinks spitting in their faces would have been less insulting._

_“A false confession?” she can’t help but scoff as she follows F.P. to the living room. “We have her on tape! Jughead left his tape recorder on and you can hear her on it loud and clear! She admits to all the murders!”_

_They have evidence –– from the Dark Angel’s own mouth and yet? It’s not good enough?_

_“Apparently, they believe she was having some sort of nervous breakdown. And since there’s no actual evidence tying her to any of the other murders, they think she believes she killed them. Not that she actually did,” F.P. continue to explain before he downs the rest of his beer._

_“Un-fucking-believable!” Sweet Pea shouts as he kicks over a kitchen chair. “She’s a goddamn serial killer!”_

_“They’re saying it was a false confession,” Toni repeats in disbelief. “To protect her.”_

_This cannot be happening. This cannot be––_

_“Northsiders will always close ranks,” F.P. murmurs. “You two should know better by now.”_

_They barely even flinch as F.P. throws the empty beer bottle across the small space._

_They just stand there and watch it shatter against the wall._

_Watch it all fall to pieces around them._

**STOP**

She watches as Kevin clenches his jaw at her comment. ****

“Southside scum,” Toni says, chuckling humorlessly. “Doesn’t even matter how long the two of you had been fucking— that’s all he ever was to you, huh?” ****

“Agent Topaz––” ****

“You Northsiders will always close ranks,” she says shaking her head. “I should know better by now.” ****

It really always has been and always will be about _their_ comfort, _their_ closure, _their_ narrative. ****

Fuck Joaquin so as long as someone is punished for Jason Blossom’s murder. ****

So as long as no Northsider is implicated in anything.

“It’s what you’ve always done,” Toni mutters as she roughly grabs her things and walks past Kevin. ****

Fuck him too. ****

* * *

She and Moose are parked down by Sweetwater River not long after. They had bought an early lunch and opted to steer clear of the Sheriff’s Station in order to enjoy it. ****

“Joaquin might have killed him,” Toni says as she takes the final bite of her burger. It’s from another burger joint in town and all it does is make her miss Pop’s. The place closed until after the investigation is over. ****

“And if he did, he had help,” Moose adds. ****

“And if he did, it wasn’t over some secret loan that doesn’t actually exist.” ****

“And if he did, he probably didn’t feel guilty enough about that to take his own life over it.” ****

“Which means he either killed himself over something else or someone else killed him to shut him up.” ****

“Cards on the table,” Moose says, which causes Toni to lock eyes with him. “We’re investigating two murders, aren’t we?” ****

A beat passes. ****

“Yeah, I think so,” Toni admits. “ _Fuck_ .” ****

They can say _if_ and _maybe_ and tiptoe around it all they want but Toni just... _knows_. Doesn’t need a coroner's report to tell her what she knows to be true in her gut. ****

Joaquin might have been a murderer. ****

But someone else murdered him. ****

Moose exhales loudly before speaking, “Sheriff Grande really just wants this to go away, huh?” ****

“Yup. He’s afraid his career and his marriage and his public image might all become collateral damage. Don’t be fooled, not one ounce of that worry is about Joaquin,” Toni says shaking her head as she reaches to take a sip of her drink. “Don’t get me wrong though, if he did it he did it –– Joaquin was no saint. But the callous disregard?” Toni shakes her head in disgust. ****

She’s not under some delusion about who Joaquin was and what he probably did. Is still here ultimately to get justice for Jason Blossom. But to see how this whole investigation has been, at its core, an exercise is Northside vs Southside tensions? ****

 _Fuck them._ ****

Toni wants the truth. ****

And she won’t settle for anything less. ****

Not again. ****

“Let’s get to work then,” Moose says. “Show them what a real investigation looks like.” ****

“Let’s.” ****

* * *

“I thought you had caught the guy who did it –– some Serpent,” Reggie Mantle says as he shakes Moose and Toni’s hands. ****

They’re in his office at his car dealership, finally getting the chance to go over his statement. Their last stop in their original plans. Toni’s hoping this interview gives them something to go on, because they need it –– and fast. ****

“The investigation is still ongoing,” Toni tells him as they take their seats across from him. ****

“Right. Okay, so what can I do for you, Agents?” ****

“We really just want to go over your statement of what you saw that morning, when you found the car,” Moose explains. ****

“Right,” Reggie says, exhaling loudly. “Well, I was on my usual morning run down by Sweetwater River when I saw the convertible. I knew immediately it was Jason’s. I called out for him, but got no answer. I figured he must have had car trouble and left it behind,” he says with a shrug. “So, I tried the doors. They were open. I was going to try turning the key, maybe pop the hood and see what could be the problem, but the keys weren’t there. I tried calling Jason, but got no answer. So, I tried Cheryl after,” he finishes explaining. ****

“And when you say your usual morning run down by the river?” Moose asks. ****

“Every day, seven days a week. You can ask my wife,” he says with a chuckle. “She always complains about me getting up so early on the weekends.” ****

“Wife?” Toni asks, her interest piqued. ****

“Yeah, Midge,” Reggie boasts as he shows them a picture of the happy couple that sits on his desk. ****

It’s from their wedding day. ****

“High school sweethearts,” he says with a soft smile as he turns the picture back toward himself. ****

“And have you always run in that same area?” Toni asks, digging for something that she can _feel_ is there. ****

“On and off,” Reggie answers with a shrug. ****

“Jason Blossom would run at Thornhill. Did you ever join him over there?” ****

“Sometimes,” Reggie answers and Toni watches as he clenches his jaw. ****

“When was the last time you ran over there?” Toni asks, doing her best to sound casual. ****

“I don’t know, a couple of months ago,” Reggie says, shifting in his seat. ****

“Would you consider yourself and Jason to have been good friends?” Moose asks and Toni hears it in his voice. ****

They’re on the same page. ****

“Of course. We grew up together,” Reggie answers. But Toni sees it –– how he tenses up now. ****

“Of course,” she says. ****

A beat passes. ****

“Right, well. Thank you for your time, Mr. Mantle.” ****

Toni reaches over to shake his hand, watches as he wipes it beforehand. ****

She smirks. ****

* * *

“Give me the keys,” Toni says as they head to the car. ****

She can’t help but sound excited. She can _feel_ it –– they have something. ****

“Where’re we going?” Moose asks as he dutifully hands them over, eager to know. ****

“Riverdale High.” ****

* * *

“Got her,” Moose excitedly calls out. “Klump. Her maiden name is Klump.” ****

He hands over the yearbook in his hands and Toni reaches for it eagerly. ****

“Mrs. K,” Toni says, shaking her head in disbelief. ****

She was right. ****

They’re sitting in the student lounge, the one room the front office opened for them so that they could go through year books. ****

And it paid off. ****

“If you’re the one who finds the car––” Moose starts shaking his head in disbelief as well. ****

“––Then there’s no reason to doubt why your fingerprints are all over it,” Toni finishes with a scoff. ****

She stands then and begins to piece it all together. ****

“Jason and Midge start an affair four months ago,” she begins. ****

“Doting and loving husband Reggie notices something’s amiss,” Moose continues. ****

“He hires a Serpent to do the heavy lifting and figure it all out,” Toni says. ****

“Once he finds out the truth,” Moose concludes, “he tortures and kills Jason over it.” ****

“Kills Joaquin to keep him quiet,” she adds. “Because Joaquin wasn’t going to go down alone over a murder that he technically didn’t commit himself.”

“Fits with our assessment that it was a crime of passion,” he says nodding. “Now we just have to find actual evidence of it,” Moose exhales. ****

Toni nods at him as she glances around the room. ****

Riverdale High. ****

The school of the elite and privileged Northsiders. ****

“Picturing what life would have been like if you had roamed these halls instead?” Moose quietly asks after a beat. ****

Toni pauses before she answers. ****

“Honestly? I can’t even begin to imagine it.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, hello ✌🏼 if you're still with me, i appreciate the heck outta you ❤️


	8. “You always gotta have your insurance”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PREVIEW:
> 
> "Bullseye."
> 
> SUMMARY:
> 
> DAY FOUR

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello all ✌🏼 we're in the final stretch! this is technically the penultimate chapter of the fic. i will be posting the last chapter + the epilogue tomorrow night. hope you're all ready! xx

* * *

“Mrs. Mantle, I’m Agent Topaz and this is Agent Mason. We’re with the FBI. We were hoping to speak with you.”

“Um, yes. Come in,” is Midge Mantle’s response to seeing them on her front door step. 

Toni can tell that she’s surprised, but is still very clearly trying to be cooperative and polite. She leads them into the spacious living room where she and Moose take a seat on the couch. 

“Can I get you both some tea? Some coffee maybe? Water?” Midge asks, ever the dutiful host.

“No, that’s quite alright thank you,” Moose answers as he gestures for Midge to sit across from them. She hesitates for a beat before sitting on the single seater sofa on the other side of the coffee table. 

“So, what is this about?”

“Jason Blossom,” Toni answers succinctly. 

She watches as Midge fidgets in her seat. 

As she swallows and readjusts her hair.

Nervous.

“I thought the person responsible was caught?”

“This is still an ongoing investigation,” Moose answers.

“Right….So what can I do for you, Agents? I really don’t know anything,” Midge says fidgeting again.

“Your husband found Jason’s car the morning after he disappeared,” Moose begins.

“Reggie always runs down by Sweetwater River,” Midge says, nodding.

“But he hasn’t _always_ , has he?” Toni asks.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, he used to run at Thornhill with Jason.”

Toni watches as Midge takes a shaky breath before answering, “Yes, he used to. He hasn’t for the last couple of months, though.”

“Would you say he stopped running there before or after you started your affair with Jason Blossom?” 

Midge blanches.

Toni’s not sure she’s ever seen a person go that white before.

“I-I-I–”

“Right, Mrs. K?”

Midge opens and closes her mouth, clearly unable to form any sentences.

A beat passes.

And suddenly Midge’s face crumbles as she begins to sob loudly and painfully.

Moose and Toni turn to each other.

Bullseye.

* * *

“I work for the mayor’s office,” Midge begins to explain a little while later, after she’s managed to calm down. “I was in Greendale on an errand for Mayor McCoy, picking up some paperwork. She’s got all these plans about uniting the towns more,” she continues. “I was there and Reggie was supposed to come pick me up, but he had a sale he was making and it was going to take longer. They were test driving the car –– driving who knows how far. Apparently, Kevin’s husband, the casino guy, is _very_ particular. Anyway,” she sniffs then as new tears begin to form in her eyes. “I was trying to figure out how to get back home and then there was Jason.”

“He was in Greendale?” Toni softly asks.

“Yes. Picking up some juuls. There’s a really great smoke shop over there apparently,” the other woman explains. “He saw me and offered me a ride back into town. The sun was setting and it was a nice day out so he asked if it was alright if we took the long way home. And I said yes,” Midge cries. “He had the top down and it was just the perfect weather and it just –– it was _perfect_ ,” she says as her grief overcomes her yet again and she continues to cry.

They wait a minute or two for her to calm down before Moose speaks.

“Did Jason always drive with the top down?”

“Yes. The mechanism on his car is weird and he could never get it to go up on the first try. It always got stuck. No matter how many times Reggie showed him how to do it, he just could never get it right.”

“Reggie knew how to do it?” Toni asks.

“Mhm,” Midge says, reaching for a new tissue to wipe her tears.

She and Moose share a look.

The car was found with the top up.

 _Strike two,_ Toni can’t help but think with satisfaction.

“Did you ever tell anybody about the affair? A close friend at least?” Moose ask.

“No, I didn’t. Jason had been burned badly before, you know? He liked to keep things as private as possible. And well, so did I, obviously.”

“What do you mean?” Toni says, remembering Cheryl’s words from before.

_He’s been burned by lovers in the past, so he was private about those affairs in recent times._

“What happened to Jason?” she asks.

“Polly Cooper,” Midge says with a huff. 

Toni feels the breath leave her lungs.

“Polly Cooper? As in––”

“Yes,” Midge answers. “It was high school, you know? But that sort of thing stays with you. At the time, Jason and Polly were the perfect couple. The Quarterback and the Head Cheerleader. Like straight out of some teen rom-com,” she sneers, not bothering to hide her contempt.

“You were jealous,” Moose surmises.

“He would never look at me like that and I knew it. And I had Reggie, you know?” Midge answers.

“You settled,” he concludes.

“I married the man I was supposed to, Agent Mason. Sometimes we do what polite society calls for. I don’t expect you to understand,” she continues.

Toni feels as Moose tenses beside her.

“Believe me, Mrs. Mantle. I understand more than you know.”

Toni can’t help the way her heart hurts for Moose in that moment. 

She wishes she could reach out and comfort him. She tries her best to get them to move on though, hoping that will be enough.

“So what happened with Jason and Polly?” Toni asks.

She feels Moose relax beside her, feels him shift in his seat so that his knee gently knocks against hers for a beat.

Toni smiles softly.

She hears the _thank you_ loud and clear.

“Well, you know about the trial right? I think everyone in town was there _except_ for the Blossoms. I heard that, apparently, the family didn’t want to associate themselves with the Coopers after what had happened,” Midge recounts. 

_Guess that answers that_ , Toni thinks. She _had_ always wondered why Cheryl wasn’t at the trial. Didn’t remember that Jason had missed it as well, but it makes sense. 

“They stayed together through prom and everything –– Polly wasn’t going to break up with him before getting her crown, but after that she dumped him. Harshly, apparently. She was pissed that he didn’t support her family in their time of need.”

“I see,” Toni says. 

Toni notices then as a flicker of recognition finally crosses Midge’s eyes.

“You were there,” she says slowly. “You testified. You and your friend.”

“We did,” Toni confirms.

“Small world,” Midge says with a humorless chuckle. “He was your friend right –– the dead kid? From the Southside?”

“Yes,” Toni answers, clearing her throat.

“So, Jason and Polly broke up and after that he just swore off dating?” Moose interjects, moving them along. 

Returning the favor.

Toni gently knocks her knee against his. 

“Basically. The Coopers left town after the trial and I don’t think anyone has ever heard from them since. And well, I think it took a long time for Jason to get over everything that had happened, you know? Not just getting dumped, but just the fact that he had been so close to the Coopers. And to find out what had happened? The...darkness there. It was hard to cope with,” Midge explains. 

“Yeah,” Toni says. “I can imagine.”

* * *

“When I said we needed more evidence, I wasn’t expecting it to be delivered to us on a silver platter,” Moose says, unable to stop himself from laughing in disbelief. “Holy shit.”

He smiles at Toni who can’t help but smile back.

“There’s our motive,” she says as she starts the car.

“And more evidence that points toward Reggie being the one to have moved the car,” Moose adds. 

“He put the top up just in case anyone spotted him, so that they wouldn’t be able to tell that it wasn’t Jason driving the car,” Toni confirms. 

“It’s so fucked, isn’t?” Moose asks as Toni begins to drive them out of the neighborhood. “She sat at that Motel 3 waiting for _hours_ thinking she’s got time because Reggie’s down at Sweetwater Casino. Meanwhile, her husband is the one actually meeting with Jason — murdering the man that she actually loved. _Fuck_.”

“Fucked indeed.”

“Are you okay by the way? Talking about the trial and everything…” Moose trails off, the concern in his voice evident.

“I am,” she says, shooting him a soft smile. “It, uh, actually answered a few questions I had from back then if I’m honest.”

“Full circle moment, then?” 

“Something like that.”

* * *

They spend the rest of their afternoon corroborating Midge’s story.

They drive over to Greendale and stop by the Mayor’s office where a diligent secretary tells them that––  
  
“ _Yes_ , we do keep an electronic record of everyone who comes to the office on official business. Just tell me the date and I’ll be able to check.”

“March 5th,” Moose answers.

“Just one sec,” the secretary says as she types it into the computer. “Here she is, Midge Mantle. Arrived in the afternoon. I can submit a request for the security tapes if you’d like? Those are kept by our security company.”

“Yes, thank you,” Moose answers, as the woman nods and pulls up the form.

The two of them exchange satisfied smiles.

* * *

They go by Thornhill then and catch Cheryl Blossom outside practicing archery.

“ _Yes_ , Jason always had trouble with the car’s top. It was a significant nuisance when it rained,” she confirms as she notches another arrow. 

Toni and Moose watch quietly as she makes it soar.

Bullseye. 

“He could never get it right. Reggie informed him it was most likely a manufacturing defect.”

“Right,” Toni says as she and Moose exchange looks. “Well, thank you for your time, Miss Blossom.”

“Sheriff Grande called me this morning,” Cheryl says, stopping them in their tracks. She turns toward them then, before speaking, “He said that he believes the case is as good as closed. So why are you here asking me more questions?”

Toni can hear the curiosity in her tone –– along with the simmering frustration. 

Jason’s body won’t be returned to her until _after_ the coroner finishes his report. 

“We believe that there was an accomplice,” Toni explains to her. “We’re working on identifying him.”

“Sheriff Grande said he believes other Serpents must have helped,” Cheryl counters with a raised eyebrow. “He said trying to find evidence that implicates them is a fool's errand.”

“We’re approaching this from all possible angles,” Toni explains, doing her best to not give away their suspicions, while still giving Cheryl something that explains why they’re clearly _not_ working in unison with Riverdale’s Sheriff's Department.

Toni watches as Cheryl narrows her eyes at them.

A beat passes.

“Do you want the truth, Miss Blossom? Or do you want to be happy?”

Toni and Moose watch as Cheryl turns back toward her targets. 

She notches an arrow.

“Get me the truth, Agent Topaz. And then I’ll be happy.”

Bullseye.

* * *

Their last stop is the Motel 3 on the Southside.

“Damn. It hasn’t changed a bit,” Toni says shaking her head in amusement as they step out of the car. “Brings back memories,” she says with a chuckle as she spots the dilapidated snack machines that never once actually gave them the right bag of chips.

“Good or bad?” Moose asks as they begin walking over to the front desk.

**REWIND**

_“We’ve got an hour,” Sweet Pea says, grinning like a Cheshire cat as he walks back toward the parking lot to an awaiting and dubious Toni._

_She’s leaning against her motorcycle as he approaches her with the room key in hand._

_“And how the fuck did you manage that?”_

_“You want to ask questions or do you want to have some fun?”_

_“What I want, is to make sure you didn’t just do something stupid,” she counters._

_She knows how these shady businesses run._

_There’s always a fine print._

_“I paid $50 bucks. Can we go now?” Sweet Pea answers with a smug smile._

_Toni shakes her head at him, a smile threatening her lips._

_“You’re so dumb,” she says before she’s suddenly laughing loudly as Sweet Pea simply picks her up and throws her over his shoulder. “Put me down you dumbass!” she can’t help but yell as she continues to laugh from her perch._

_Sweet Pea walks them over to the room and unlocks it, all the while laughing as well._

_“As you wish,” he says as he finally dumps her on the bed._

_She bounces on the mattress and he wastes no time in leaning over her body._

_“You. Are. So. Dumb,” she says as she looks up and locks eyes with him._

_“As if you don’t enjoy it,” he cockily smirks at her._

_“Shut up,” she says as she pulls him down for a kiss._

_His hands reach over to her hips and tickle her._

_“Sweets!”_

_Their laughter fills the room for the entire time they’re there._

_Stolen moments._

**STOP**

“Good,” Toni says with a fond smile.

And _fuck_ does it feel good to say that. 

Moose smiles at her as they reach the small office and spot a shady man sitting behind a shitty desk smoking. 

“What do you want?” he asks as he eyes their holstered guns. “You feds?”

“We are,” Moose answers. 

“We just want to know,” Toni begins to say as she pulls a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket, “if you’ve ever seen this car in the parking lot?”

She hands over the picture they’re carrying of Jason Blossom’s car along with the $20.

The man hesitates for a beat before taking both. He quickly pockets the $20 as he looks at the picture. “Blossom right? Yeah, he came around every couple of weeks,” he says.

“Did he happen to meet with someone when he came around?” Moose eagerly asks.

The man looks over at Toni.

Toni rolls her eyes as she takes out another $20 and places it on the desk.

“Brunette. Really short hair. Pretty eyes,” he answers as he quickly takes the money.

“You know anyone who might be willing to testify to that?” Moose asks.

The man looks over to Toni again, but before she can start pulling out cash, he speaks.

“I can do you one better,” he says as he rubs his thumb and fingers together. 

Toni pulls out a $50 and sets it on the desk. She keeps her hand on it, though.

“Better be worth it.”

“Trust me, honey. You’re going to want to pull a couple more of those out of your ass ASAP.” 

* * *

Pictures.

Honest to god fucking pictures. 

Of the car.

Of Jason. 

Of Midge.

Of Jason and Midge by the car.

Of Jason and Midge kissing by the car.

On multiple fucking occasions.

Thank god for nosy employees.

“Holy hell,” Moose says as he looks over the photos that were sent to their phones.

“With or without security cameras,” Toni says as she drives them back across the train tracks. “You always gotta have your insurance.”

“The Southside teach you that?” Moose teases and Toni can’t help but smirk.

* * *

They pull up to Luxury Car Jamboree just as it’s closing for the day. 

They step out of the car and watch as an employee gestures toward them. Reggie turns their way just as Moose speaks.

“Mr. Mantle. We’re going to need you to come with us.”

They watch as Reggie reassures his employee before walking over to them.

“Am I under arrest, Agents?” he playfully says, but Toni can see it.

The worried look in his eyes.

“Not yet,” she says as she gestures for him to get in the car.

“Right,” he says with a humorless chuckle.

They drive over to the Sheriff’s Station in silence and before long they’re sitting across from Reggie in an interrogation room.

“You know, for not being under arrest –– this sure does feel like I’m under arrest,” he jokes. 

“How about we get right to it, then?” Toni says. “We know you moved the car.” 

She watches then as Reggie’s face drops.

“Wh-what?” he asks, clearly trying to sound like he doesn't know what they’re talking about.

The nervous shifting in his chair says otherwise.

Toni smirks.

“Two weeks ago, on the night of July 6th at around 9:30pm, you sat waiting outside of Pop’s Diner,” she begins. Watches as he fidgets. “You watched as Jason Blossom drove up to the diner, followed not long after by Joaquin DeSantos –– a Southside Serpent you hired to tail Jason. After Jason walked inside and picked up his order, you watched as Joaquin took him down.”

“We’re guessing with a taser,” Moose adds as he stands from his seat and moves to lean on the two way mirror behind them.

“Mr. DeSantos had only a few minutes to act, so he did so quickly. His first order of business was opening the door to the diner in order to trick Pop into thinking Jason had walked out,” Toni says.

“But what was really happening,” Moose continues, “is that Joaquin was throwing the keys to Jason Blossom’s ‘61 Chevrolet Impala Convertible to _you_.”

“You,” Toni says. “The one person in town who knew how to successfully get the car’s top up. You called the issue a manufacturing defect correct?”

Toni watches as Reggie swallows. 

As he begins to sweat.

“A key piece of evidence, seeing as Jason never drove the car with the top up because of that exact issue. You, however, had no trouble at all getting the top up in order to obscure your identity as you drove the car down to Sweetwater River –– where you dumped it. In the exact spot that you would then claim to have accidentally stumbled across the following morning,” Moose says.

“Clever,” Toni mock-praises. “Why would we ever suspect the man that led us straight to the evidence right? Especially since that’s the area where you’re known to exercise every morning.”

“I _do_ exercise there every morning,” Reggie interjects, defending his original statement.

“You then made your way back to Pop’s. Tell us, did you drive your own car back? We’re still hazy on the details there,” Moose patronizingly questions, ignoring Reggie’s comment.

Toni watches as Reggie simply clenches his jaw and averts his eyes.

“No? Okay,” Moose says with a shrug.

“Once you arrived back at Pop’s,” Toni continues, picking up where they left off, “you headed toward the back of the diner. To the hidden and long forgotten cellar door entrance to the basement. Tell me, did you knock out the bricks yourself or did you pay Joaquin to do that as well? That’s a lot of prep, a lot of work. When did you get it all done?”

Toni watches as Reggie begins to shake his head in anger and frustration.

“We’ll come back to that,” Moose condescendingly says. “Once inside the basement, where Joaquin had dumped Jason through the hidden entrance in the men’s bathroom, you tied him to a chair. And then you tortured him.”

“And then you killed him,” Toni continues. “Left him to bleed out.”

Reggie continues shaking his head.

“Hey, didn’t Pop say he remembered Joaquin putting some quarters in the jukebox?” Moose directs to Toni –– pretending they’re simply conferring among themselves. “You think he was trying to drown out the screams maybe?”

“I mean, I would have gagged him to start,” Toni answers with a shrug, pretending to consider the question.

“Stop,” Reggie angrily says. “You’re wrong. Jason was my friend. Why on earth would I kill him?”

“Come one, Reggie. We _know_ ,” Moose says as he takes his seat next to Toni again.

“It really must have pissed you off, huh?” Toni needles, hoping to get a reaction out of him. “Did you always know you were the consolation prize?”

“Must have convinced yourself that things had changed, huh?” Moose says leaning back in his chair.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Reggie angrily asks as he looks between them.

“ _Come on_ , don’t pretend you didn’t know. She’d wanted him all this time and you knew it,” Toni says hoping to crack him.

“Who–what the fuck are you on about?”

“It must sting, though. You thought he was your friend,” Moose says with mock-sympathy.

“What the fuck are you talking about?!” Reggie shouts.

“The reason you killed Jason Blossom.”

“Which is?!”

“Because he was _fucking_ your wife,” Moose answers.

Toni watches as Reggie’s face drops. 

But––

It’s not like before.

It’s not the look of a man that’s been caught red-handed. 

It’s not the look of a man that knows he’s in deep shit.

It’s the look of a man that’s––– 

Heartbroken.

“What?” he shakily asks.

And Toni can read the devastation on his face.

Something’s wrong.

This is his motive.

Why is he surprised by it?

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“We know about the affair, Mantle,” Moose says, leaning forward on the table. Clearly hoping he’s just calling Reggie’s bluff. “You don’t need to pretend. You knew about Midge and Jason. How they would meet up every couple of weeks at the Motel 3 on the Southside. You would be down at Sweetwater Casino, your favorite place to go on the weekends, and she would tell you she was having a girls night, right?”

Moose then pulls out the pictures they printed just before starting their interrogation. The pictures of Midge and Jason. He pushes them across the table toward Reggie who only takes a glance at them before looking sick. He shakes his head in disbelief, screwing his eyes shut. 

“No, that’s–– that’s. No,” he whispers to himself. 

He didn’t know.

Fuck.

A loud tap on the glass behind them stops them in their tracks.

She and Moose exchange frustrated looks before they excuse themselves.

They step out of the interrogation room and into the viewing room where a pissed off Sheriff Grande is waiting for them.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing interviewing a suspect without notifying me first?” he angrily says.

“You wanted evidence, there it is,” Toni shoots back. “There’s our actual motive and actual killer.”

“Motive?” Kevin scoffs. “He didn’t even know about the affair. You’re grasping at straws.”

Before either party can get another word in edgewise, they hear Reggie shout from his place still at the table.

“Lawyer! I want my lawyer!”

“Dammit,” Toni says as she and Moose exchange looks.

They’re missing something.

Something big.

* * *

They’re back in the conference room while they wait for Reggie’s lawyer to show up and Toni can’t help but pace up and down the room while her mind goes a mile a minute.

“Call HQ,” Toni says to Moose. “We need eyes on Mantle’s financials, on his calls and texts. Get Mel to look into his social media. Midge’s as well. I’m not waiting around for Grande to decide whether or not he wants to pursue this. Reggie moved the fucking car –– there’s no doubt about that.”

“He did,” Moose confirms. “You saw his face, we’re right about this.”

“But not about the motive –– he didn’t even _know_ about the affair. We’re missing something. Fuck,” she says as she stops pacing and rubs at her face in frustration.

“Hey,” Moose says, causing her to look his way. “Grande can give all the arbitrary deadlines he wants. We’ve been more than polite, but if he tries to make this just go away, I have no qualms about reminding him who’s _really_ in charge here.”

Toni nods at him, reassured by his words despite her mounting frustration.

“We’ll figure this out, Toni. Don’t count us out yet.”

* * *

They cut Reggie loose. 

There’s no point in charging him yet, not when they don’t have a motive. And while they could hold him for 24 hours while they push and prod, his lawyer would definitely not let him answer a single question.

It’s a bust –– for now.

It pisses Toni off to no end.

She and Moose head back to the Five Seasons, but only long enough for Toni to pack an overnight bag. Despite offering to call an Uber, Moose insists on dropping her off at the Southside.

“I’m too wired to go to bed yet,” he says as they head for the car.

They spend the entire drive mulling over what it is they got wrong.

“We need something that will link Reggie to Joaquin. Anything,” Toni says as Moose pulls up in front of Sweet Pea’s trailer.

“Hopefully we’ll have something by tomorrow. Phone logs or social media.”

“Or that damn coroner’s report. I’d settle for either one of the bodies.”

“The fuck is taking him so long?” Moose wonders. “It’s been 24 hours. We should have something, _anything_ , on one of them by now, at least.”

“Who even knows,” Toni sighs. “Thank you for dropping me off.”

“It’s no problem,” Moose answers with a smile. “Pick you up bright and early.”

Toni mock-salutes him as she exits the car.

She’s barely taken a few steps though, before she hears Moose open the car door and jump out, calling her name.

“Mel just texted,” Moose says excitedly, his phone in his hands. “I told you she’d get it done.”

“What’d she find?” Toni says, quickly walking back toward him until–––

A loud crash comes from inside the trailer. 

And a scream.

A distinctively male scream.

Sweet Pea.

She and Moose don’t hesitate to rush toward the trailer door then, immediately drawing their guns.

Toni crosses the threshold and sees her, all blonde hair and––

**REWI––**

_She’s standing over Jughead._

_How did she know?_

_A knife in hand._

_All Toni sees is the blood._

_So much blood._

_Pooling all around their feet._

_“Get the fuck off him!” Toni screams and she watches as the other girl turns toward her._

_Pure evil in her eyes._

_The Dark Angel._

_Betty Cooper._

_How did she know?_

**––OP**

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> are you ready to see how it all ends? 🖤


	9. “Stay with me, please”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PREVIEW:
> 
> "All she hears is the gunshot."
> 
> SUMMARY:
> 
> DAY FOUR/DAY FIVE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello ✌🏼 Sorry for the one day delay –– it wouldn't be me if I had posted on time 😅 In any case, here it is! 
> 
> The final chapter 🖤
> 
> _Let's go_

* * *

**REWIND**

_“So what’s going on?” Sweet Pea asks as he takes his helmet off, still straddling his bike. “We goin’ to Pop’s or what? I’m starving.”_

_“We are,” Toni answers as she sheds her own helmet. “But Jones isn’t answering.”_

_“You know how he is,” Sweet Pea says, rolling his eyes, “Always losing track of time.”_

_“Which is why we’re here to get him,” Toni answers as she dismounts her bike and sets her helmet down._

_“Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up.”_

_Toni sticks her tongue out at him, which he immediately reciprocates, causing her to laugh. She shakes her head in amusement as she hears Sweet Pea’s soft chuckles filling the air now. She begins to walk across the gravel parking lot then to where she’s sure Jughead has been holed up all day: the projection booth at the Twilight Drive-In._

_Jughead’s been basically MIA all day, which Toni has no doubt has to do with the fact that they have plans to head over to the Riverdale Sheriff’s Department tomorrow to share with them what they’ve gathered so far about their potential suspect for the Dark Angel._

_Alice Cooper._

_Toni’s sure Jughead has spent all day going over all of their evidence. Reading and rereading their notes, listening and relistening to his recordings –– double checking that they haven’t missed anything._

_Doesn’t matter that the two of them literally did all of that yesterday –– Jughead’s gonna Jughead._

_She knocks on the door once, before she just pushes it open._

_“Jones, you in there?” she begins to call out, until she sees her, all blonde hair and preppy sweater._

_She’s standing over Jughead._

_But it’s not––_

_It’s not Alice Cooper._

_It’s her daughter._

_The younger one._

_And she has a knife in her hand._

_And then Toni sees it._

_The blood._

_So much blood._

_Pooling all around their feet._

_“Get the fuck off him!” Toni screams and she watches as the other girl turns toward her._

_Pure evil in her eyes._

_And Toni knows in that moment –– in that instant –– that they were wrong._

_Alice Cooper isn’t a serial killer._

_Her daughter is._

_Betty Cooper is the Dark Angel._

_A beat barely passes before Betty is rushing at her –– it happens so fast and the space is so small, Toni barely manages to brace herself as Betty tackles her to the ground, her head hitting the corner of a table on her way down._

_Blood begins dripping down her face from the cut that’s now above her right eyebrow. Betty quickly takes advantage of the moment and straddles her, snarling as she takes her knife and tries to plunge it into Toni’s face._

_Toni manages to block her strike with her forearms, the leather from her Serpent jacket catching the brunt of the blade, tearing as Toni feels it slice through and reach her arms._

_Toni grunts in pain as she manages to get her feet back under her and buck Betty off of her, the two lying on their sides now––_

_Suddenly, the door behind them opens and Betty wastes no time in getting to her feet and rushing out, bypassing a shocked Sweet Pea._

_“Fuck!” she hears Sweet Pea shout behind her._

_Toni manages to push herself up and she looks over––_

_All Toni sees is the blood._

_So much blood._

_Pooling all around their feet._

_How did she know?_

_How did she know they were on to them?_

_“Call 911!”_

**STOP**

* * *

All she hears is the gunshot.

All she sees is the blood.

* * *

“Stop beating yourself up,” are the quiet words spoken to her.

The first words spoken aloud since they sat down.

They sound muffled to her ears. 

As if she’s underwater and can barely make out what is being shouted down at her from the surface. Which feels like an appropriate comparison, given how tight her chest feels –– as if she were holding her breath long after her lungs have lost all their air.

“Toni.”

She closes her eyes then.

Takes a deep breath.

Her chest still feels tight.

A beat passes.

She opens her eyes and turns toward Moose. 

“I mean it,” he says softly. “Stop.”

She takes in where they currently are –– sitting in the damn waiting room at the hospital — and all she can do is shake her head at his words.

“I froze,” she quietly responds, her eyes downcast. “I walked in there and I––”

**REWI—**

_Toni crosses the threshold and sees her, all blonde hair and––_

_She’s standing over Jug–_ Sweet Pea.

She was standing over Sweet Pea.

_A knife in hand._

_All Toni sees is the blood._

_So much blood._

_Pooling all around their feet._

**—OP**

Deja vu.

A beat passes.

“If you hadn’t been there and shot that woman, he would’ve––” Toni starts to say, before Moose cuts her off.  
  
“Stop,” he emphatically repeats. “ _What ifs_ help no one here. We got there in time, okay? He’s going to be _okay_.”

Toni closes her eyes again, can’t help but be transported to barely a fucking hour ago.

**REWIND**

_“You’re going to be okay! Okay?! Stay with me, Sweet Pea! Just stay with me!”_

_They're in the backseat of the car, Moose up front driving them to the hospital as fast as he can, and all Toni can do is hold back her tears as she keeps the pressure on with a goddamn kitchen rag._

_“I’m not going anywhere,” Sweet Pea grunts as he puts his hand over Toni’s, putting even more pressure on his wound in order to stop the bleeding. “Not,” he swallows, “not when I finally got you back.”_

_The tears she had been holding back finally spill down her cheeks at his words._

_“Stay with me, please,” she cries._ _  
__  
__“I’m not going anywhere.”_

**STOP**

“Hey,” Toni hears, causing her to look up.

It’s Fangs and Munroe.

She immediately stands and Fangs wastes no time in wrapping her in his arms. 

She hears Moose’s phone ring then and he steps aside to answer it privately.

“How are you guys?” Fangs asks as he pulls back from their hug. 

“We’re okay,” she answers with a nod. 

“And Sweet Pea?”

“He’s––he should be, I mean I think––” Toni cuts herself off then. “He’s in surgery now,” is what she finally settles on.

_He’s going to be okay._

She hears Moose’s reassuring words in her head and tries her hardest to let herself believe them. 

The only man in her life that’s never disappointed her.

Toni prays that extends to being right about this.

“What was it?” Munroe quietly asks.

“Stabbed in the gut,” Toni answers. “Looks like he was caught by surprise.”

“ _Jesus_ ,” Fangs exhales as he runs his fingers through his hair.

Toni watches as Munroe reaches over and lays a comforting hand on his shoulder, the two exchanging a brief look.

Toni smiles softly.

She sees movement out of the corner of her eye and catches Moose walking back over toward them. His phone suddenly goes off again though, stopping him in his tracks as he moves to answer.

“How’s, uh, everyone back at Sunnyside?” she asks the two men before her.

“Shaken, but we’ll be okay,” Fangs answers. “Sweets’s trailer was taped off when we left.”

Toni nods at his answer before moving on to a more pressing question.

“Has...anyone let F.P. know what happened?” she quietly asks. “He should be here. Sweet Pea is like a––” the word catches in her throat, before she’s able to force it out.

**REWIND**

_“Miss Elizabeth Cooper, you are hereby sentenced to 15 years at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy Treatment Facility. There you will undergo––”_

_“Bullshit!” F.P. suddenly shouts. “Fifteen years? Fifteen?! She killed my son! She killed him!”_

_“Order! Order!” the Judge shouts, banging his gavel as half the courtroom, the half filled with Serpents, suddenly gets to their feet and begins to shout as well._

_Sweet Pea’s voice among the loudest._

_A chorus of fuck yous, fuck the Northside, fuck that bitch rings out among them before the Judge speaks out again, “Bailiff! Remove that man from my courtroom.” The bailiff reaches for F.P. then and proceeds to forcefully drag him out._

_Toni stays frozen in place in her seat._

_Staring into nothing._

_Unable to move at all._

_And all she hears is F.P.’s voice echoing in the room as they drag him out._

_“My son! That was my son!”_

**STOP**

“A son...He’s like a _son_ to him,” Toni shakily finishes. 

“I went by his trailer,” Fangs quietly answers. “Told him Sweet Pea had been attacked by some psycho bitch. That you and your FBI partner had rushed him to the hospital. He just nodded and asked us to leave. I figured he wanted space,” Fangs says with a shrug, “but then Munroe saw him hop on his bike as we were leaving. Heading to who the fuck knows where.”

“We need to find him and stop him,” Toni emphatically responds. “He shouldn’t be out riding if he’s upset.”

F.P.’s already lost Jughead. 

If he thinks, if he–––

“Already on it,” Fangs quickly responds. “Serpents are out looking for him. Also told them to be on the lookout, to keep their ears to the ground–– see if we can find out anything about what the fuck this was all about.”

“Maybe we can help each other out with that one,” Moose’s voice suddenly cuts through their conversation as he joins them. Toni looks over to him as he begins to speak, “The body is on the way to the morgue to be officially identified, but the Sheriff’s Department found a suspicious car parked two blocks away. Inside it they found a purse with an I.D. in it. They’re fairly certain it belongs to our perp. Identified her as Penny Peabody.”

“Penny Peabody?” Munroe asks, his tone one of surprise.

“You know her?” Moose quickly asks.

“Know _of_ her. She lives in Clearview, works at Sweetwater Casino.”

“She _what?_ ” Toni can’t help but ask, because that’s––

That’s one hell of a coincidence.

“I think she lived on Joaquin's floor.”

Or not.

She and Moose exchange looks then, because _this_?

This is something.

And they both know it.

“I’m going to go make some calls,” Fangs says a beat later, a determined look in his eyes. 

Toni and Moose nod at him as they watch him and Munroe begin to walk down the hall.

“She lived on Joaquin’s floor,” Moose quietly repeats, and Toni can see by the look on his face that his mind is going a mile a minute. “And she worked at Sweetwater Casino, the place Reggie spent all his free time at.” 

Toni can only nod as she tries to piece it all together too.

A beat passes.

“Do you think…” Moose begins to ask, “Do you think _she’s_ who we’ve been looking for?”

Toni looks up at him then and the two lock eyes.

Moose swallows before saying it out loud.

“Did Penny Peabody kill Jason Blossom?”

Toni takes in a sharp breath, because…is she? Could she...?

This woman they knew nothing about an hour ago?

Is she who they’ve been looking for all along?

“I’m not sur-–” Toni begins to say, before Moose interjects.

“Think about it, Toni. We thought Reggie had found out about the affair and then hired Joaquin, but he didn’t _know_ about the affair. So what if Reggie wasn’t the one calling the shots, what if it was her?”

“How? Why?” Toni can’t help but ask, her mind spinning as she tries to fill in all the blanks. “I––” Toni takes a deep breath then, centering herself. 

She’s got a job to do.

Toni locks eyes with Moose then, “Walk me through it.”

And she can see in his eyes that he gets her loud and clear.

_Convince me._

“Okay, so,” he starts as he slowly puts it all together. “The call I just got from HQ, they got a preliminary look at Mantle’s financials, which means we now know for certain that the dealership was in the red. Bankrupt.”

“Which fits with the DMs Mel found between Jason and Reggie–– Reggie begging Jason to invest,” Toni connects.

 _Shit_ , she thinks. _That tracks_.

“Right!” Moose emphatically says before continuing, “So you’ve got Reggie who’s a regular at the casino. Peabody sees him, knows he’s drowning in gambling debts, and maybe one night they get to talking. A few drinks in, Reggie spills all about Jason rejecting his pleas. So Penny steps in. Convinces him to maybe scare Jason, tells him she knows a Serpent, _one who happens to live on her floor_ , that they can hire.”

“But why would she-–” Toni begins to ask, before Moose interjects.

_Why?_

“Money,” Moose answers with a shrug. “She gets a cut out of whatever amount they get out of Jason. So they set the whole thing in motion. Joaquin tails him, dumps him in Pop’s basement, Reggie moves the car, and Penny tortures Jason. She’s the only one who gets her hands dirty, so what do either of them have to lose? But then something goes wrong.”

“Jason dies,” Toni says softly.

“Exactly,” Moose nods, “And they still don’t have any money. So they all bail. Probably hoping that they could just leave the corpse there and be done with it. But then _we_ come to town. _We_ find Jason’s body. So now you have loose ends.”

“Loose lips sink ships,” Toni sighs.

“ _Exactly_. So Penny takes out Joaquin before he has a chance to turn on her. He owes her no loyalty, so why would he go down for a murder he didn’t commit? She kills him, plants the suicide note.”

 _It...fits_ , Toni can’t help but think. They can connect this Penny to both Joaquin and Reggie, and while their motive right now might be flimsy on paper, doesn’t it always come back to money in the end?

But.

_But._

There’s one thing.

The one thing holding Toni back from truly believing that Penny Peabody is the answer to all of their questions.

“Sweet Pea,” Toni whispers.

Moose locks eyes with her then.

She swallows before continuing, “What about Sweet Pea? How does she connect to him?”

“Another loose end,” Moose tries. “He saw Joaquin tailing Jason.”

“She couldn’t have known that though.”

“Maybe he actually saw more than he realized. Something that could put the heat back on her.”

“Sweet Pea doesn’t know anything more,” Toni refutes, shaking her head. “He would have said something in the car.”

“Maybe he doesn’t know what he knows.”

“Moose––”

“ _It’s her, Toni_ ,” He emphatically says. “We have to dig a little deeper, I know, but...I think it’s her. She’s our killer.”

A beat passes.

“And I shot her,” he finishes, letting out a disbelieving chuckle at himself.

Toni can’t help but shake her head at him.

“Could it really be that simple?”

“None of that is simple,” he says.

And Toni can just see the exhaustion on his face now.

How the weight of this investigation has been pressing down on him too.

She takes a deep breath before continuing, “So what does that mean for us?”

“We investigate Penny Peabody. And if I’m right…” he says nodding along to himself, “Then it’s over, Toni...It’s all over.”

**REWIND**

_“A treatment facility? Fuck outta here,” Sweet Pea spits out as he paces in front of his trailer._

_Toni sits on the steps, staring into nothing._

_“She should be in prison for the rest of her goddamn life! She killed Coral and Steve and Mallory and Henderson and all those other Southsiders. We have her on fucking tape confessing to all the murders! Jughead got her on tape! And she gets to just walk away? The fuck is that!” He lets out an animalistic growl just as he punches the side of his trailer._

_Toni doesn’t even flinch._

_“It’s bullshit! This is all bullshit,” he continues, as he pulls his fist back. A dent now on the trailer, his knuckles bloody._

_He continues pacing._

_A beat passes before he starts back up again with his questions._

_“How did she even know anyway? How did she even know about you and Jughead investigating her family?”_

_Toni hears him stop then, turning toward her._

_A beat passes before Toni realizes he’s waiting for an answer._

_“It doesn’t matter,” Toni says when she finally finds her voice. It sounds distant to her own ears, though._

_Like it’s someone else speaking the words._

_“What do you mean it doesn’t matter? You actually believe those corrupt cops? That she must have overheard you guys at Pop’s or whatever? That’s bullshit. You and Jones were more careful than that.”_

_Toni clenches her jaw._

_“It doesn’t matter.”_

_“What do you mean––”_

_“I mean it doesn’t matter, Sweet Pea!” Toni snaps at him, standing up from the steps. “Nothing fucking matters anymore. Nothing! It’s over...It’s all over.”_

**STOP**

She shakes her head free of the memories as she finishes washing her hands in the bathroom.

Moose is on his way back to the Sheriff’s Station, eager to find everything they need to confirm that the dead Penny Peabody is indeed their killer.

Toni’s still at the hospital though, waiting for them to allow her to see Sweet Pea. He’s out of surgery and, according to the doctor, should make a full recovery.

Toni won’t believe it until she sees it with her own eyes though.

 _All Toni sees is the blood._ _  
__So much blood._

Toni shakes her head again as she sighs. 

Wonders if blood is all she’ll ever see in her mind.

She reaches for a paper towel then and dries her hands.

 _If this is truly closure_ , Toni can’t help but think, _Then why does it feel so goddamn unsatisfying?_

The door to the bathroom suddenly opens behind her and Toni glances up. She sees him hurriedly walk in through the reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Sheriff Grande.

 _Kevin_.

“Agent,” he greets her, a smile on his face.

Toni turns around to face him. She opens her mouth to say something, but immediately closes it as she sees what’s in his hands.

His gun.

Pointed straight at her.

“Sheriff,” Toni answers stiffly, as she finally finds her voice. Her mind spinning –– completely unsure of just what in the hell is happening. “What are you doing?”

“ _Wow_. I just got some _major_ deja vu,” he chuckles.

**REWIND**

_The door to the bathroom opens behind her then and Toni sees him hurriedly walk in through the reflection in the bathroom mirror._

_The best friend._

_Kevin Keller._

**STOP**

And really, Toni should have known.

It’s not over.

Not at all.

* * *

**DAY FIVE: FRIDAY JULY 20th** **  
****(PRESENT DAY)**

“Your phone and your gun please,” Kevin says after a beat. The look in his eyes letting her know that he can see that she remembers now too.

Toni weighs her options then, but knows there’s no point.

The _Sheriff_ is literally pointing his gun at her in the middle of the women’s bathroom. 

At the goddamn hospital.

She’s got nowhere to go.

She slowly unholsters her weapon and reaches to hand it over. She then stuffs both her hands into her jacket’s pockets and she rummages in them for a beat.

Another beat pases.

“ _Today_ , Agent Topaz,” Kevin says, trying to hurry her along.

She nods as she slowly pulls her phone out and hands it over. Her other hand slowly coming out of her other pocket.

Kevin takes both items then and throws them into the bathroom’s trash can.

“Well. Shall we go for a ride now?”

Toni’s never hated those words more.

* * *

He leads her outside without much fuss. 

It doesn’t matter that it’s nearing one in the morning, no one bats an eye at the Sheriff and an FBI Agent strolling out of the hospital together.

They have no reason to.

Once outside, it’s easy to guide her toward his cruiser, parked as far away from the lampposts as he could get, and as soon as they reach the patrol car, he hands her his handcuffs. 

“Behind the back,” Kevin instructs. “It’s been quite a while since you’ve been on this side of things, huh? Tell me, is it just like riding a bike?”

Toni bites her tongue.

 _Once a privileged preppy Northsider, always a privileged preppy Northsider,_ Toni can’t help but remember as he then shoves her into the back of the patrol car.

**REWIND**

_“Fuck you, you privileged preppy Northsider. I hope she goes to jail and I hope she fucking rots there for all of eternity,” Toni snarls as she shoulder checks the boy on her way out._

_Fuck Kevin Keller._

_She’s barely out the bathroom door though, before she crashes into somebody else._

_She bites her tongue before she inadvertently insults some random person._

_“Apologies,” the man quickly says, reaching over to steady her._

_Toni barely spares him a glance, just long enough to see blonde hair and an all white outfit._

_“It’s fine,” she mumbles as she shakes his hands off and continues on her way back into the courtroom._

**STOP**

Kevin jumps in the front and wastes no time in starting the car and driving them out of the hospital’s parking lot.

“You’re awfully quiet,” he says just as they hit the main road. “And here I thought you would have so much more to say. What was it that they used to call you? The second smartest brain in the Southside?” he mocks.

Toni can just hear the echo of Joaquin’s own taunts in his stolen words.

It hurts more than she thought it would.

“But then again,” Kevin continues when she doesn’t take the bait. “How does that even measure up in the grand scheme of things? Like you so correctly pointed out earlier, you’re all just scum. Sinners who need to be purged,” he spits out.

And it’s then that it all _finally_ clicks for Toni.

**REWIND**

_“Did you see this bullshit?” Sweet Pea asks as he dumps the day’s Riverdale Register on the table in front of her. She’s sitting at a booth in Pop’s, a milkshake she’s barely taken two sips of in front of her._

_It’s been two weeks since the trial ended._

_It’s two weeks until graduation._

_Toni barely remembers any of it._

_So much for senior year._

_“That preppy asshole––Keller?” he continues as he drops down across from her, “The one you said cornered you in the bathroom? Wrote some bullshit think piece or whatever for the paper. Listen to this,” he says as he reaches for it and begins to read aloud. “Our community knows loss, but it also knows strength. And from what we have lost, we will unite and forge on. Prosper. Riverdale will reach its ape––”_

_“Sweet Pea,” Toni says, cutting him off. “I don’t care.”_

_He scoffs, but Toni can see the hurt in his eyes. Hurt that she’s not as pissed as he is._

_But truthfully?_

_Toni’s got nothing left to give._

_Not anymore._

_“You don’t care? This privileged asshole is out here talking like the Northside are the actual victims. Like they’re the ones that lost people! When all they lost is a goddamn serial killer and her family who dipped out of town with their tails between their legs –– and yet they still get to publish bullshit like this in the paper even with it having new owners? It’s bullshit, Toni.”_

_“It’s the reality we live in,” she can’t help but defeatedly respond after a beat._

_Sweet Pea doesn’t say anything else after that._

_Toni doesn’t know if that’s better or worse._

**STOP**

“The Dark Angel,” Toni finally says.

“Bingo.”

“You’re just like her. Finishing what she started all those years ago.” 

“Someone had to,” he confirms.

“Penny Peabody?” Toni asks, hoping to get as many answers out of him while she still can.

“Merely a tool. One used to dispose of some trash.”

“Joaquin,” Toni fills in, unsurprised. 

Northsiders will always close ranks. 

_It’s what they’ve always done,_ Toni can’t help but think.

“And your loverboy too, if she had done her job right.”

Toni flinches.

“I thought her being a blonde was a nice touch, don’t you think?” he needles.

Toni bites her tongue, though.

She takes a deep breath.

She’s got a job to do.

“What about Jason Blossom? He wasn’t a Southsider. Why kill him?”

“Because he was something much worse,” Kevin drawls, sparing a glance at her through the rearview mirror. 

“Which is?”

“A traitor,” he spits out. “Tell me, Agent,” he continues, directing the conversation now. “Did you ever figure out how exactly it was that Betty knew you suspected her family? You hadn’t even gone to the police yet, so how did she know to come and find little ol’ Jughead Jones and shut him up for good?”

Toni clenches her jaw.

Thinks back to Sweet Pea’s words from so long ago.

_You and Jones were more careful than that._

“How?” she asks through gritted teeth. 

“Emails,” he happily answers after a beat. “Spam, more specifically.”

And Toni can just picture the memory that had come to her not two days ago –– she can finally see it for what it was.

**REWIND**

_“Right, so,” Jughead begins to explain, breaking the tense atmosphere. “He’s sent letters to the Register every day now for the past week. He keeps using the following phrase, ‘I will purge the town of its sins so that I may ascend.’”_

_“It’s very distinctive.”_

_“It is. So I’ve been looking around online to see which religions, denominations, sects or even cults have a similar belief system. Their doctrines.”_

_“Any luck?” Toni asks._

_“Not unless you count the spam that I’m now getting from what looks to be a cult based in Vermont called The Farm,” he jokes._

_“Christ, Jughead. Be careful, those types of groups hunt people down.”_

**STOP**

She had been right.

And she didn’t even know it.

Fuck. 

_Fuck._

“The Farm,” Toni says, blinking back the tears that are now forming in her eyes.

Her heart aches.

If only they had known.

If only––

“Bingo,” Kevin confirms again. “We used to go there every summer, you know?” he continues on conversationally, as if they’re just old friends catching up. “The Coopers would go and they would bring me along. Told my father it was Summer Camp, you see. We would go to The Farm and we would learn all about sins and how to best purge them from the world and how in doing so we would ascend.”

 _It fits_ , Toni thinks. _They were all in on it._

“It was our leader, Edgar Evernever, who saw the calling in Betty,” Kevin continues. “The call to convert more to our flock. And so he tasked her with showing the town of Riverdale how beautiful life could be without sinners.”

“You mean he trained her to be a serial killer while you and her parents helped her cover it up. Hoping she’d what? Inspire the town into joining you all on a mass murdering spree? How quaint,” she snarks. 

_Fuck them_ , Toni can’t help but think. _Fuck them all._

Kevin continues just as casually though, unbothered by her comments, “He saw the same potential in Jason when Polly brought him along to the Farm during Spring Break of Junior Year.”

Toni remembers Midge’s words though.

_“Well, you know about the trial right? I think everyone in town was there except for the Blossoms. I heard that, apparently, the family didn’t want to associate themselves with the Coopers after what had happened.”_

“He shunned you, though. All of you. Walked away from the Coopers.”

“We thought it was perhaps too soon. He needed time to accept his true calling.”

“So you waited ten years for him only to kill him in the end? Why?” Toni wonders.

She knows how valuable having someone like Jason Blossom, the heir to Blossom Maple Farms, on their side would be. So what changed? If they were willing to wait that long for him, what triggered the need to––

Oh.

_Oh._

“Midge,” Toni says then. “Jason didn’t avoid dating for ten years out of heartbreak. It was out of fear. Because you were watching all along. Reporting back. And Polly Cooper had been waiting.”

“Traitor,” Kevin spits out.

“How’d you find out?”

“Joaquin saw him at the Wash one Friday afternoon. He was curious, so he followed Jason all the way to the Motel 3. Imagine his surprise when he saw just who he was meeting with.”

“So why didn’t Polly come to do it herself then?” Toni asks. “Why hire Penny Peabody?”

“You misunderstand, Agent,” Kevin corrects, a gleam in his eyes as he glances back at her. “Penny had her uses –– I needed someone to help keep an eye on Joaquin and keep Reggie in line, but she didn’t kill Jason. You think we’d leave such an important punishment in the hands of an outsider? _No_. I did it.”

A beat passes.

“I killed Jason Blossom,” he says with nothing short of pride in his voice.

Of course.

Of fucking course.

Because why would they even suspect the person in charge of the investigation in the first place?

Fuck.

_Fuck._

“It was easy, you know,” Kevin continues. “Getting Joaquin to tail Jason again and then dump him in Pop’s basement. I had that Snake wrapped so tightly around my fingers I even convinced him to move out of Sunnyside –– his home his entire life, so that we could have Penny keep an eye on him.”

“Was he a... _believer_ too?” she can’t help but ask. “Did The Farm brainwash him?”

Toni can’t help but feel sick at the thought.

“Not at all,” Kevin answers with a chuckle. “In fact, I think Joaquin thought _he_ was playing _me_.”

“And here I thought you were actually distraught over things,” Toni murmurs, thinking back to Kevin’s reactions at the diner –– how he fooled her into thinking that he actually cared. That he was actually upset over discovering Jason’s body, over Joaquin becoming a suspect. “Quite the performance.”

“I did theatre in high school,” he unironically boasts.

“What about your husband?” Toni wonders then. If Kevin’s relationship with Joaquin was all manipulation, what about his _actual_ marriage? “He know all about your Farm fetish?”

“How do you think we met?” Kevin answers with a smug smile. “Elio is one of The Farm’s most distinguished associates. When he met Edgar the two hit it off instantly and they knew it would be a mutually beneficial relationship. The Farm needed funds, Elio needed...helping hands. It was a perfect match. And well, so were he and I.”

“And Reggie?” Toni continues, wanting to know for certain how it all connects in the end.

“Dumber than a box of rocks,” Kevin snorts. “He’d already been our errand boy for a while, what with how much money he owes the casino. It was easy enough to get him to move the car and then play the part of witness. He really did think we were just going to scare Jason,” Kevin chuckles. “Imbecile.”

“I’m surprised you let him live and not Joaquin then. Or then again, maybe I’m not,” Toni comments.

“Don’t worry,” Kevin faux comforts, “Reggie may be a Northsider, but he has outlived his usefulness. If I hadn’t shown up when I did during your little questioning, the idiot probably would have broken...It’s all just about timing now.”

 _They’re going to kill Reggie next_ , Toni thinks.

She feels nauseous at the thought.

Fuck.

Toni takes a deep breath then, before continuing.

She’s got a job to do.

“The bricks to the basement. You get Joaquin to smash those? Or was it Reggie? Penny? Some other little helper? Pop’s is open 24/7, he would have noticed. Must have been a very clever plan.”

“Pop,” Kevin begins to explain, “Like almost everybody in town, was too busy enjoying the very loud spectacle of fireworks on the Fourth of July to pay it any mind. Joaquin was in and out before anyone could even so much as suspect a thing.”

 _Two days_ , Toni thinks. _Two days later it became Jason Blossom’s grave._

“And the suicide? How’d you have time to fake that?” Toni wonders then. “Timing must have been tight then.”

“Not as tight as you might think. When your partner called to inform me that you’d found the cellar doors, I knew that we had some cleaning up to do. So, I called Penny. Told her to make it quick. The suicide note was sloppy, I’ll admit,” he says with a sigh. “So hard to find good help these days.”

“Every step of the way...” Toni begins to say, exhausted –– but also, a part of her almost feels... _relieved_. Because she finally gets it. She _knows_ now. She finally has all the pieces to the puzzle. 

She can finally see the gruesome picture that it paints. 

“Every step of the way,” Toni repeats herself, “it’s felt like we were two steps behind the whole time –– _because you made sure we were_ ,” she scoffs. “Delaying the coroner’s report, keeping the investigation away from the Southside, distracting us with Sweetwater River. All of it has been you.”

A beat passes.

“It’s been you the whole time.”

“Guilty as charged,” Kevin answers with a smile, his voice full of pride.

 _Monster_ , Toni can’t help but think.

_You’re a monster._

A beat passes.

“So what now? Where are you taking me?” Toni asks as she glances around. Realizing just then that at some point they crossed the train tracks.

They’re on the Southside.

“Oh, don’t worry, Agent Topaz. It’s somewhere you’re... _intimately_ familiar with,” he condescendingly answers. “You haven’t asked me yet though,” Kevin says then. “About your _Sweet Pea_ ,” he mocks.

Toni flinches again.

“You sent Penny Peabody to kill him.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“You know why.”

And she does, doesn’t she?

Because it’s been about this the whole damn time.

They just didn’t realize it.

It’s been about the Dark Angel this entire time.

About Betty Cooper.

“Because we testified.”

Kevin hums in response as he stops the car.

It’s then that Toni finally realizes just where they are.

The Twilight Drive-In.

Toni feels as if she’s just been punched in the gut.

“It’s time for you to be purged.”

* * *

**REWIND** **  
**

_“So...What do you think?” Jughead asks, trying very hard to hide his excitement._

_“Well, it’s certainly not the Wyrm,” Toni drawls as she looks around the projection booth._

_Jughead had quit working at the bar a few days earlier, which had disappointed Toni. She had liked the fact that all three of them worked together. But as she looks around this place, she gets it._

_Gets why he loves this new job so much._

_“You’re just sad because you’re going to miss me, admit it,” he jokingly says._

_“I am,” Toni admits as she locks eyes with him. She watches as a small blush covers his cheeks, before she continues. “But I get it. This place, it’s probably the most_ you _place in all of Riverdale.”_

_“It is now,” he whispers after a beat._

_Toni pretends she didn’t hear him._

**STOP**

“Poetic justice, don’t you think?” Kevin taunts as he drags her out of the cruiser.

Toni tries desperately to swallow the lump forming in her throat as she looks around.

The Twilight Drive-In had closed down after Jughead’s murder. By the time they had been allowed to reopen, no one had wanted to come. 

The Serpents out of respect.  
The Northsiders out of fear.

The Bijou had become the place to go and, slowly, the Drive-In was left to rot. The owners refusing to sell, despite the loss.

 _A graveyard_ , Toni can’t help but think. _That’s all it is now._

_Where we come to die._

Kevin shoves her forward then, toward the projection booth, and it’s then that Toni sees it.

Just barely.

The only light coming from the moon.

But she sees it. 

And it’s there.

A motorcycle. 

Partially obscured by debris and trash, but there all the same. 

A motorcycle.

Resting against the outside of the projection booth.

One she knows all too well.

Toni closes her eyes and takes a deep breath then.

Centers herself.

She’s got a job to do.

“So what now?” Toni loudly asks as she turns to face Kevin, her back to the projection booth. “You’re going to kill me?” she continues as she slowly walks backward toward it.

“I promise to leave a much better suicide note for you,” Kevin mocks. “All about how the loss of yet another lover was too much for you to bear. Incompetency and trauma are a hell of a mix,” he says.

“Sweet Pea isn’t dead,” Toni shoots back.

“Not yet.”

Toni takes a sharp breath.

“How exactly do you plan to cover this up, huh? Suicide is going to be pretty hard to prove here, what with a gunshot wound an all.”

“You _still_ don’t get it, do you?” Kevin taunts. “I can do whatever I want. I can get _away_ with whatever I want. Do you know why, Agent Topaz? Because this is _my_ town. Our town. _Northsiders_. You and your Southside scum have only ever been a disease –– one that we were well on our way to eradicating. Which is what I plan to continue now.”

Toni continues moving backwards, closer to the projection booth.

Kevin continues talking, too caught up in his Farm fervor to pay her too much attention, “Riverdale will reach its apex. We will rid it of all its sins. We will ascend. And all I have to do to set it all into motion is to finish what we started so long ago.”

A beat passes.

Toni finally hears the quiet shuffle of feet behind her.

“All I have to do now is kill you. Because you’re the last person standing in our way. The second smartest brain in the Southside,” he scoffs. “Not so smart now, huh? Any last words?”

“Yeah,” Toni says. 

It’s now or never. 

“Thank you,” she says.

“For what?”

“For telling me everything I needed to know.”

And _god_ how she hopes she’s got this right.

“NOW!”

Toni drops to her knees just as the door behind her swings open.

A shot rings out into the night air.

A body drops.

A beat passes, before Toni feels herself being hauled back up onto her feet.

She turns then and locks eyes with none other than F.P. Jones.

And _god_ , she’s never been happier to see him.

F.P. quickly walks over to Kevin then, who’s on his back, bleeding from his chest. Blood gurgles up his mouth as he tries to reach for his gun, which now lays at his fingertips. F.P. kicks it away, before reaching down and pulling out the handcuff keys from his pocket. Toni walks over and F.P. quickly uncuffs her.

“They’ll...never...believe….you,” Kevin gurgles.

Toni looks down at him before reaching into her jacket pocket.

She pulls out her tape recorder.

It’s still going.

“Yes, they will.”

 _They will this time_ , Toni thinks. _They fucking will._

_I won’t give them a choice._

F.P. and Toni stand there quietly for the next few minutes.

They watch as the life slowly leaves Kevin’s eyes.

Toni turns to F.P. then. 

His hair is a mess, he clearly hasn’t shaved in weeks, there’s a stain on his shirt that Toni can see even now, he reeks of booze, and yet––

He turns to her.

They lock eyes.

It’s the most clear headed Toni has _ever_ seen him look.

“Good shot,” Toni finally says.

F.P. looks back down at Kevin before answering.

“I’ve been waiting... over ten years for it.”

A beat passes.

“Me too.”

Toni glances down at the tape recorder in her hand.

Her thumb lightly going over the buttons.

 **PLAY  
** **REWIND  
** **STOP  
** **RECORD**

She smiles softly before pressing the button she’s longed to press.

**STOP**

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ➡️ ➡️ ➡️


	10. EPILOGUE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PREVIEW:
> 
> "They’re standing on the outskirts of the Twilight Drive-In."
> 
> SUMMARY:
> 
> ONE WEEK LATER

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is: **The End.**

* * *

**REWIND**

_“But it’s sick, right?”_

_“It’s on your neck,” Jughead says, still horrified at the placement of Sweet Pea’s Serpent tattoo._

_“Fuck yeah!” the other boy responds, still full of energy despite the bruises that litter his face and body._

_They’re hanging out in the Jones trailer like they usually do every day after school._

_Except._

_It’s close to 4 in the morning and it's a Friday night._

_The night of their Serpent Initiations._

_They’re now_ officially _Southside Serpents._

_Toni won’t deny that, despite the inherent misogyny and humiliation in the trials done by women –– it’s still such a rush._

_She’s a part of something now._

_Something real, something tangible._

_A family._

_She has a home now._

_It might make her a hypocrite but.... she wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world._

_“Mine itches,” Jughead complains, his face as equally bruised as Sweet Pea’s, as he eyes his own tattoo on his shoulder. “Does yours itch, Toni?”_

_“It does not,” Toni says, chuckling as she watches Sweet Pea chug his beer._

_Fangs and Joaquin have long since left them, but the three of them are still too wired to sleep._

_F.P. having passed out about an hour ago._

_“You know what this means right?” Sweet Pea says, as he turns toward them from where they are all sitting around on the living room floor._

_“That we’re all officially on a watchlist,” Jughead drawls._

_“I’d die for you,” Sweet Pea says suddenly, not a trace of humor in his voice._

_Jughead’s head snaps up and he locks eyes with the other boy._

_“I’d die for both of you,” Sweet Pea continues. “That’s what it means. That I’m willing to die for you, because I know you would for me.”_

_A beat passes._

_“Same,” Jughead says, his voice rough._

_She’s a part of something._

_A family._

_A home._

_She wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world._

_“Me too,” she says softly as they both turn to her._

**STOP**

“Do you think he’d forgive us?”

They’re standing on the outskirts of the Twilight Drive-In. 

It’s been a week since it all went down.

Toni turns to Sweet Pea.

The two lock eyes.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” she answers softly.

Sweet Pea releases a deep breath as he nods.

And it’s like the weight of the world has been lifted off his shoulders.

Like he can finally breathe again.

For the first time in over ten years. 

The two of them turn back toward the empty parking lot, before Sweet Pea speaks again.

“I would have died for him,” he murmurs.

“I know," Toni replies. "Me too."

“Do you think he knew?”

Toni doesn’t even have to think about it.

“Yes.”

“So what now?”

“Now?” Toni says as she too releases a breath she’s been holding onto for far too long. “ _Now_ , we live for him.”

Toni feels Sweet Pea reach for her hand and intertwine their fingers.

She gives it a gentle squeeze.

“Damn right we do.”

* * *

“I’ll call you when we get to the city,” Toni says as she finishes putting in her bags into the trunk of their car.

“And I’ll drive down there in two weeks,” Sweet Pea confirms with a sweet smile.

“And you’re coming back for that drink I owe you next month, right?” Fangs cuts in, a playful smile on his face.

They’re parked right outside Sweet Pea’s trailer, Toni picking up her things before heading out.

Saying their final goodbyes.

For now.

“You know it,” she answers with a wide smile.

And for the first time in a long time, she knows in her heart that she truly means it.

No more running away.

Fangs reaches over to give her a tight hug. 

As he pulls back, Toni watches as Munroe and Moose shake hands, before the former comes over to say his own goodbye as well.

“Stay safe,” he says as he hugs her.

“You too.”

Moose and Fangs exchange a handshake of their own, before Toni watches Sweet Pea and Moose shake hands firmly.

She can see it though, the look in both men’s eyes.

“Take care of yourself,” Moose says sincerely.

“You too,” Sweet Pea answers just as sincere.

They care.

With that Moose gets in the car and starts it, Fangs and Munroe walking away.

Sweet Pea walks with her around to the passenger side door, before speaking.

“I’ll see you soon,” he softly says.

“You will,” Toni confirms, before she leans forward on her tiptoes.

Sweet Pea meets her halfway for a tender kiss.

“I love you,” Toni whispers as they pull back.

Toni doesn’t even need to hear him say the words back –– not with the way his eyes shine.

“I love you too.”

She still loves hearing them though.

She gets into the car and a beat later they’re off.

Back to New York City.

* * *

“You can cry, you know,” Moose says softly, after they’ve been on the road for a little while.

The silence around them comforting, rather than suffocating. 

Toni smiles at him.

She hears the heartfelt comfort hidden in the halfhearted tease.

“I think I’ve cried enough for one lifetime.”

“Amen to that,” he chuckles. 

Before either of them can say anything else though, Toni’s phone rings. 

She takes a look at it and raises an eyebrow.

“It’s a private number,” she says.

Moose raises an eyebrow in turn, before speaking, “Answer it.”

“Hello?”

A beat passes, before a voice comes through.

“Hello, Agent Topaz.”

A voice that makes Toni's blood run cold.

_No._

_No._

_No._

“You know who this is don’t you?” the voice teasingly asks.

Toni swallows back the bile rising up her throat, before she answers.

“Betty Cooper.”

 _How?_ Toni can't help but think.

Moose pulls over then, quickly reaching for his phone to send a message to HQ.

_She should still be at the Sisters, she shouldn’t have access to a phone or even have my numbe––_

“I just wanted to congratulate you on solving your case,” the other woman says. “Well done."

A beat passes before she continues.

"Guess that makes us even?”

“I’m not keeping score,” Toni shoots back.

 _This isn’t some game_ , she thinks.

“Well,  _ I am _ ,” Betty answers. “It’s 1-1. And I for one  _ love _ a good tiebreaker, don’t you? I mean draws are so boring.”

“What do you want?”

And Toni swears she can hear her smile through the phone.

“I’ll see you soon, Toni.”

Moose and Toni lock eyes just as the call drops.

And really, Toni should have known.

It’s not over.

Not at all.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment, to leave kudos, to bookmark etc this fic. I know there isn't a big audience for this particular ship, so I'm so very grateful to each and every one of you 🥺🥺🥺 Hope to see you all soon! xx
> 
> Remember you can always come hit me up over on my [tumblr](https://distractioncake.tumblr.com/) 💕✨


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